On Wednesday, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader traveled to the Qatari ambassador’s official residence in Santo Domingo to honor the passing of former Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died on July 12 at the age of 74.
Accompanied by Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, Abinader was greeted on site by Yaser Awad Al-Abdulla, Qatar’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic. During the visit, the president extended the profound sympathy of both the Dominican government and the country’s broader population to the State of Qatar, the Qatari royal household, and all Qatari citizens.
In his formal written condolence message, Abinader highlighted the transformative leadership and enduring legacy that the late Emir Father left on Qatar’s national history and sustained development. He also reaffirmed the Dominican Republic’s solidarity with current Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani — Sheikh Hamad’s son — and the Qatari people as they navigate the period of national mourning.
This diplomatic gesture serves as a clear reflection of the robust bilateral diplomatic relations and collaborative partnership that the Dominican Republic and Qatar have built over time. As a public tribute to the late former emir, the Qatari national flag has been lowered to half-mast at the ambassador’s residence in the Dominican capital.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani first took the throne of Qatar in 1995, and oversaw nearly two decades of the country’s rapid economic and social transformation before making the unprecedented decision to voluntarily abdicate power in 2013, handing leadership to his son, the current emir.