“It is with profound sadness that I learnt of the passing away of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of the Sultanate of Oman. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family, Government and the People of the Sultanate of Oman at this time of grief and sorrow,” President Rajapaksa said in a Twitter message.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the demise of the Sultan of the Sultanate of Oman His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. I extend my deepest sympathies to the members of the Royal family and the people of Oman.”Qaboos became Sultan in July 1970 after deposing his father in a bloodless coup and ending the country’s isolation, set Oman on a path to development using its oil revenue for modernization and development.