ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan has condoled the death of the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin, who died suddenly in New York on Monday.
In her twitter messages, Pakistani Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi expressed her deep condolence over the sad demise of Vitaly Chukrin.
Saddened to hear news of a colleague Amb Vitaly Churkin of Russian Federation suddenly passing away. Our condolences to his family & country
— Maleeha Lodhi (@LodhiMaleeha) February 20, 2017
He served his country with distinction and dedication. He will be missed at the UN. May he rest in peace.
— Maleeha Lodhi (@LodhiMaleeha) February 20, 2017
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Vitaly died after being taken ill at work. Russian President Vladimir Putin called his death a big tragedy.
Russia lost its second most important diplomat in less than three months as Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead in Ankara on December 20, 2016. Karlov was operative in mending Turkish-Russian relations over Syrian crises while Vitaly was defending Russian and Syrian position in UN over Syrian crises with full force.
The Russian Foreign ministry did not release detail information about what kind of illness Vitaly had and in what circumstances he died. The ministry offered condolences to relatives of deceased and said the diplomat had died one day before his 65th birthday.
The ministry also declined to comment on reports that Vitaly had been taken to a hospital shortly before his death.
It may be mentioned that New York Post claimed that diplomat was rushed to a Manhattan hospital from the Russian embassy after falling ill with a cardiac condition.
Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin was born on February 21, 1952 and died a day before his birthday.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry record, he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1974 and received his PhD in History from the USSR Diplomatic Academy in 1981. He also served as a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, and he was Deputy Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994
He was a child actor and played an unforgettable role in one of the most popular movie of Soviet Era— Sinyaya which was produced in 1963.
He played the role of Kolya Yemelyanov along with Mikhail Kuznetsov as Vladmir Lenin.
