Pres TV- The Russian Foreign Ministry says the country�s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has �died suddenly� in New York, just a day before his 65th birthday.
"A prominent Russian diplomat has passed away while at�work. We'd like�to express our sincere condolences to�Vitaly Churkin's family," Russian Ministry of�Foreign Affairs said in�a�statement�available on�its official website on Monday.
Before being appointed to represent Russia at the UN on May 1, 2006, Churkin was Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation between 2003 and 2006.

He was Russia�s Ambassador to Canada from 1998 to 2003, Ambassador to Belgium and Liaison Ambassador to NATO and the Western European Union (WEU) between 1994 and 1998.

Churkin also served as Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation to the talks on Former Yugoslavia (1992-1994).