Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait who steered his tiny oil-rich country on an independent path through the Middle East’s rivalries and feuds for four decades as the country’s foreign minister and then ruler, died on Tuesday. He was 91.

The following is the full text of the message by HE Barkindo:

29 September 2020

HE Dr. Khaled All Al-Fadhel

Minister of Oil

Minister of Electricity & Water

Chairman of the Board - Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)

Excellency

It was with deep and profound sadness that I learned of the passing of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait.

HH Sheikh Sabah dedicated his life to the State of Kuwait, as Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and since January 2006 as the Emir. He has provided a steady hand and wise counsel in guiding his country both at home and through the often choppy waters of international affairs.

His commitment to building the State of Kuwait that we see today is widely admired and his legacy will no doubt live on for generations. He served his country and his people with great dignity and humility.

He has acted as an astute and skillful diplomat that he was, in helping solve many regional and international conflicts, and is renowned around the world as a humanitarian leader. Former US President, Jimmy Carter, said of HH Sheikh Sabah: "His support of disaster relief, peace efforts and advancing public health are an inspiration. Other world leaders can learn from the wise example set by my friend, His Highness the Emir."

Over the years he has also given strong and steadfast support to OPEC and I fondly recall my warm and extremely hospitable meetings with him. He was always generous with his time, and allowed me to drink from his fountain of wisdom and rich reservoir of knowledge. He was the epitome of humility and compassion and a strong defender of OPEC.

His wise counsel to me at the height of the oil market crisis in 2016 that "oil as an energy resource must be depoliticited and OPEC must be insulated from geopolitics" still resonates.

I recall his committed efforts to building high-level consensus during talks among OPEC Member Countries and with non-OPEC producing countries in 2016. His support for bringing nations together, his unwavering dedication to the goals of the Organization, its Member Countries and the industry as a whole were instrumental in achieving the essential consensus required for the Vienna Agreement on 30 November 2016 that paved the way for the historic Declaration of Cooperation signed on 10 December 2016.

Your Excellency, the entire OPEC Family commiserates with you, his family and the great people of the State of Kuwait. We extend our deepest condolences as we mourn the passing of a giant. The Arab and Muslim world and the international community has lost a great leader.

May Allah The Almighty rest his soul in Aljannah Firdausi and grant strength and comfort to you, his bereaved family and those of us that had the fortune of knowing and interacting with His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah during his exemplary life on earth.

Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo

Secretary General