Former US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger has died. He was 100 years old at the time of his death. He died on Wednesday (November 29) local time.
The British media BBC reported this information in a report on Thursday (November 30).
Kissinger Associates, the political consulting firm Kissinger founded, confirmed his death, according to reports. The former diplomat of German origin died at his home in Connecticut on Wednesday local time.
Henry Kissinger passed his centenary in May this year. But still he was active in various activities. He attended meetings at the White House, published a book on leadership styles, and testified before a Senate committee on the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
And in July 2023, he went to Beijing on a surprise visit to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While serving as Secretary of State and Security Advisor under Republican President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, he had a hand in many epoch-changing global events of the time.
His efforts led to the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, US-Soviet arms control talks, expanded relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors and the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam.
After Nixon's resignation in 1974, Kissinger's reign as the chief architect of US foreign policy waned. Still, he served as a diplomatic force under President Gerald Ford and continued to express strong opinions on diplomatic issues throughout his life.
Notably, Henry Kissinger celebrated his centenary on May 27. He is the only official in US history to serve as both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to the President.
He is also considered a forerunner of American diplomacy. His pragmatic approach to foreign policy became very important in Washington's policy in the 1970s in the wider world reality of the time.
Meanwhile, in 1973, Kissinger was widely criticized as he termed Independent Bangladesh as "bottomless basket". Henry Kissinger was unhappy with Indira Gandhi for taking a stand for the independence of Bangladesh. He even made obscene comments about Indira Gandhi. However, he later apologized for his comments.