UNITED NATIONS, February 20. /TASS/. The United Nations Security Council has observed a minute of silence in memory of late Russian UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin. The minute of silence was declared by the current chair of the UN Security Council, Kuwait's UN Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi.

While opening a meeting dedicated to the Middle East, the diplomat expressed condolences over the recent death of Malawi’s UN ambassador Necton Mhura and suggested that UNSC members observe a minute of silence in the memory of both Mhura and Churkin, as Tuesday marked one year since the Russian diplomat’s passing.

Vitaly Churkin died on February 20, 2017, a day before his 65th birthday. He had been Russia’s UN ambassador since April 8, 2006, representing the country in the United Nations Security Council. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the ambassador died while on duty. President Vladimir Putin awarded Churkin with the Order of Courage posthumously.