Lavrov on Churkin’s death: We walked through life side by side

https://www.rt.com/news/378165-lavrov-mistura-churkin-death/

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Remembering their decades of friendship and shared diplomatic service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken of how he "walked through life side by side" with the late Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, who died on Monday.

READ MORE: Russian ambassador to UN Vitaly Churkin dies day before turning 65

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s official Facebook account shared Lavrov's emotional post dedicated to his "colleague and friend."

Saying that Churkin "passed away in the line of duty, just several hours before his 65th birthday, Moscow time," Lavrov remembered how Churkin had celebrated his 42nd birthday in the early 1990s. It was in Sarajevo, "where snipers did their work on a daily basis," Lavrov wrote.

The two diplomats were appointed as deputy foreign ministers "simultaneously" in the spring of 1992, Lavrov wrote, explaining that he was in charge of work at the UN back then, while Churkin was serving in the Balkans.

Praising the late diplomat's efforts to settle the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, Lavrov shared a poem he wrote for Churkin in 1994.

Two decades later, the best way to pay respects to the Russian diplomat would be to continue with his efforts to achieve a "safer and more democratic world," the foreign minister said during an official meeting on Tuesday.  

Speaking at a briefing following the meeting with his Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom, Lavrov called the ambassador to the UN "an outstanding diplomat," adding, "Let's remember him as such, and so will the people and international diplomacy."

The important thing for a diplomat, Lavrov added, is "the ability to advocate the interests of one’s country, without falling into unrestrained confrontation, looking for possibilities to unite efforts, based on the balance of interests.

"The best way to pay respect to our friend will be to continue working on creating the basis for a calmer, safer, more democratic world," the Russian foreign minister went on to say.

READ MORE: Diplomats' job more hectic than ever, but we like being busy – Churkin to RT in his last interview

Vitaly Churkin passed away on February 20 at Russia's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. He served as the Russian permanent representative to the UN for a decade, and was in diplomatic service for over 40 years.

Diplomats across the globe expressed their shock at Churkin’s sudden death, and people have been bringing flowers to the Foreign Ministry building in Moscow.