RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman have sent condolence messages to French President Emmanuel Macron on the death of the country’s former President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

In their messages, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince said they received with deep sorrow and regret the news of the death of former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

They extended the deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to Macron and the family of the deceased.

Giscard who led his country into a new modern era and onto a firmly pro-European path, died late Wednesday of coronavirus, his family said.

The former French president made one of his last public appearances on Sept. 30, 2019, for the funeral of another former President Jacques Chirac, who had been his prime minister.

Giscard became the youngest ever president at 48 in 1974, beating his Socialist rival Francois Mitterrand, to whom he then lost after his seven-year term in 1981 in a failed re-election bid.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa also offered sincere condolences to the French President and people, lauding the role and efforts of the former French president in boosting bilateral friendly relations and cooperation in various fields.

Meanwhile, President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the vice president and prime minister of the UAE, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent cables of condolences to French President Macron.