15:11,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, died on Saturday, the royal court said.

He was 86.

"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn… the death of Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait," said a statement aired on Kuwaiti state television, according to France24.

In November, Sheikh Nawaf was admitted to the hospital "due to an emergency health problem", according to the official KUNA news agency, which did not elaborate on his illness. He was later declared in stable condition.

Sheikh Nawaf was named crown prince in 2006 by his half-brother Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and took over as emir when Sheikh Sabah died in September 2020 at the age of 91. Kuwait’s crown prince and his half-brother, Sheikh Meshaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, now 83, was subsequently named new emir, state media reported.