President Mukherjee condoles former Israeli leader Peres' demise

New Delhi [India], Sept. 28 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday condoled the passing away of former president of Israel Shimon Peres. In a message to His Excellency Reuven Rivlin, the President of State of Israel, President Mukherjee said, "I was deeply saddened to learn of the demise of Mr. Shimon Peres, former President of the State of Israel. Please accept my heartfelt condolences. The President said in his passing, Israel has lost a statesman who made courageous efforts to achieve peace for his country and the region. "The worldwide admiration and accolades that he received for his work - including the Noble Peace Prize, are a testimony to the values that he stood for. Mr. Peres was a visionary who strongly believed in the power of knowledge, innovation and technology. We, in India, remember Mr. Peres as a steadfast friend of our country, whose lasting contribution to the strengthening of the close bilateral partnership between India and Israel will be long remembered," he added. President Mukherjee recalled his last meeting with Peres in October, 2015, during his recent visit to Israel. "I would request you, Excellency, to kindly convey my deepest sympathies to his bereaved family. May the Almighty give them the strength to bear this loss," he added. Peres, who shared a Nobel Prize for forging a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, died at the age of 93. He had suffered a stroke two weeks ago, reports the Guardian. Peres had twice served as prime minister of Israel and later as the country's ninth president. Peres, Israel's most eminent elder statesman, was part of almost every major development from the country's founding in 1948. In a career spanning nearly 70 years, he served in a dozen cabinets and was twice a Labour Prime Minister. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the late former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for reaching, in 1993, an interim peace deal which never hardened into a lasting treaty. (ANI)