KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah have expressed condolences to the family of former diplomat Datuk N. Parameswaran (pic) who passed away on Friday.

       In a post on Istana Negara's Facebook, Sultan Abdullah said Their Majesties were saddened over his passing and hoped that the family will be resilient in this time of sorrow.

       "We are very appreciative of his devotion, service and sacrifice to the country. His passing is a great loss to the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra)," His Majesty said.

       Parameswaran, 74, had more than 40 years of experience serving as a diplomat including in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia and was the Malaysian high commissioner to Singapore from 2003 to 2010.

       He was also appointed as deputy permanent representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland in 1986 before being appointed as Malaysia's ambassador to Vietnam in 1990.

       While with Wisma Putra, Parameswaran, who hails from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, had also held the position of divisional secretary (multilateral political affairs) in 1993 before being appointed deputy secretary-general II of the foreign ministry. He retired in 2010. - Bernama