How the world reacted to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death

In a tweet in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, UN India wrote: "A genuinely democratic framework enables us to respect alternative points of view to value diversity & to fashion solutions responsive to the aspiration of the people."

The US Embassy said that the US grieved with India on the loss of the former Prime Minister. "He will be remembered for his immense contribution in bolstering US-India relations. During his tenure, Prime Minister Vajpayee advocated for a robust partnership with the United States, referring to us as 'natural allies'," it said on a statement issued on Thursday.
 

He was an enormously important person who we have great respect for and it's a great loss for India. I wanted to pay my respects to a man of that stature, said Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India.

Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev said, "We mourn the death of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a great statesman." He further said that Vajpayee's name became an integral part of a whole era in Indian politics. "His devoted service to the nation can hardly be overestimated. Mr Vajpayee enjoyed due respect in India and globally. We knew him also as a poet, a man of knowledge and a true friend of our country, where he is well-known as one of the architects of our long-lasting and time-tested privileged strategic partnership," Kudashev said.

Pakistan Prime Minister-Elect Imran Khan in a statement said that Vajpayee was a prominent political personality of the sub-continent and his death has created a big void. "Efforts of Mr Vajpayee for improvement in relations between Pakistan and India will be remembered forever," the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief said.

Japanese envoy to India Kenji Hiramatsu said, "I am deeply saddened by the passing away of former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee". Hailing Vajpayee as one of the most inspiring world leaders, the envoy said the upswing in India-Japan relations was only possible by the initiatives started by the former Indian Prime Minister. "The demise of such a great leader is a great loss not only to India but also to Japan and other part of Asia as well as the entire international community," he said.

In a condolence message sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said:
"We are deeply shocked at the sad demise of the former Prime Minister of India Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the most famous sons of India. He will be remembered for contributing towards good governance and for highlighting issues affecting the common people of India as well as for regional peace and prosperity.
"His tireless work for the welfare of the people of India will inspire future generations of leaders. An excellent orator and a poet Shri Vajpayee took significant strides towards acceleration of inclusive economic growth in India.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said the former Indian prime minister played a vital role in ensuring stability of the island nation. Sirisena tweeted: "Today, we have lost a great humanist and a true friend of Sri Lanka. Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a visionary leader and an ardent defender of democracy. My condolences to his family and millions of his admirers around the world.

Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, who was the first Afghan leader to work with India after the fall of the Taliban rule in Kabul in 2001, said Vajpayee had a very straightforward and strong policy with Afghanistan. "He was the first to offer us civilian planes, airbuses at the time we were starting out. So he began the journey very steadfastly with us, and was instrumental in setting off India-Afghanistan ties after 2001 on a very strong footing.

In a statement issued by Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said that late prime minister Vajpayee was a visionary statesman with impeccable integrity and dedication. With him,
Nepal has lost a "true friend and well wisher.  

In an obituary titled 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Former Prime Minister of India, Dies at 93', The New York Times described Vajpayee as a resolute politician and who, as 'India's prime minister from 1998 to 2004, 'stunned the world by ending a decades-old moratorium on nuclear weapons tests'.
The obituary read: "A published poet, Mr. Vajpayee dabbled in law, journalism and rebellion against British colonialism as a young man, and for most of his 50 years in politics was virtually unknown outside India, a leader of the Hindu nationalist opposition to the once-invincible Indian National Congress party of Gandhi and Nehru.
 

The newspaper's obituary titled 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister who made India a nuclear power, dies at 93', credited Vajpayee for establishing India as a nuclear-weapon state, but also mentioned how India's decision to test nuclear weapons strained its relations with the US.