As delivered
Statement by H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, at General Assembly Plenary Meeting to pay Tribute to the memory of His Excellency Vitaly Churkin, Late Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
21 March 2017
©UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Ambassador Churkin was a dear friend and colleague and his tragic passing – just one day shy of his 65th birthday – shocked and saddened us all.
In the annals of history of the United Nations, Ambassador Churkin’s name will be indelible. His decade of wise leadership while serving as Russia’s Representative on the Security Council will suffice to ensure that legacy. But it will be the late Ambassador’s character that will surely be the most beloved element of institutional memory of this remarkable man.
The outpouring of heartfelt tributes from colleagues from all corners of our world reflects the esteem with which Ambassador Churkin was held.
To put it simply, in the theatre of diplomacy, Ambassador Churkin was a giant – a deep and eloquent intellectual with a sharp wit and disarmingly approachable manner.
He served his country with passion and pride. As Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations for more than a decade, he became the longest-serving member of the Security Council.
Ambassador Churkin’s quick intelligence was admired by all, his grasp of the intricacies of international political affairs, undisputed, his mastery of negotiation and due process commanding respect from all quarters. But it is the passing of the man himself that we mourn – the loss of his dry wit, his knowing looks, eye-to-eye, his smiling dismissal of nonsense, his wide cultural reach into literature, theatre and film. For all this and so much more that Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin shared with his colleagues, we are so grateful, even as we stand diminished by his passing.
Over a long and illustrious career, Ambassador Churkin made an outstanding contribution to the work of the United Nations. And while acknowledging the myriad of challenges that the organization has faced, he believed – and I quote – “the United Nations continues to be an indispensable mechanism”.
On behalf of the United Nations General Assembly, I would like to express our most sincere condolences to Mrs. Irina Churkin, to their children, Anastasia and Maksim, to the staff of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, and to the people and the Government of the Russian Federation. I thank you.