ABU DHABI: UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has passed away, media reports said on Friday. "The Ministry of Presidential Affairs condoles the people of the UAE, the Arab and Islamic nation and the world over the demise of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE," Emirates News Agency, also known as WAM, said in a statement.

Sheikh Khalifa Al Nahyan served as the president of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi since November 2004, Khaleej Times reported. He succeeded his father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in November 2004. Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa was the second President of the UAE and the 16th Ruler of Abu Dhabi.