Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview for a Rossiya 1 film on the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin, Moscow, February 19, 2018

Question: How would you describe Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin?

Sergey Lavrov: He was a talented person, and an outstanding diplomat, full of energy, very creative and courageous. Vitaly Churkin and I had close ties when we both served as deputy foreign ministers. I was in charge of UN affairs and the CIS, and he oversaw the European affairs. During my long tenure in New York, he served as Ambassador in Brussels and Canada. Perhaps the most spectacular episode of his career was when he served as the special representative to the talks on former Yugoslavia and contributed greatly to the settlement of the crisis there, including the signing of the Dayton Agreements and ensuring the legitimate rights of the Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina. He even received a land plot in Republika Srpska in recognition for his efforts (to my knowledge, he never went there).

He was one of the most talented diplomats, making a difference in everything he did. He truly found his voice at the UN Security Council. Before I became Foreign Minister, he was Ambassador-at-Large, and worked on Arctic cooperation (Arctic Council, Barents Euro-Arctic Council and other similar sub-regional organisations). But it was obvious for me that he could go further. I was very pleased when President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin supported without any hesitation Vitaly Churkin’s appointment as Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, where he fully uncovered his talents. He was admired in New York and is still remembered there. He became part of Russia’s diplomatic heritage.

Question: You proposed him for the position of Permanent Representative to the UN, while many others had doubts. Did you have any doubts?

Sergey Lavrov: I did not. Let me reiterate that I was very glad when President Vladimir Putin supported his candidacy.