MINSK, 20 February (BelTA) – Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The Belarusian minister expressed condolences over the death of outstanding Russian diplomat, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Mironchik told BelTA.
It has been reported that Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin died suddenly in New York on 20 February.
Vitaly Churkin was born to a family of an aviation engineer in Moscow on 21 February 1952. He served as Russia’s Ambassador to the UN in New York since April 2006. He also was Russia’s representative in the UN Security Council.