Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed condolences to the leadership and people of Syria on the death of Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem and called him a wise diplomat, who worked effectively during the Syrian crisis.
"I learned with deep sorrow about the death of my colleague Walid al-Mouallem. He will be remembered in Moscow as a wise diplomat who effectively fulfilled his foreign policy tasks during the difficult years of the crisis and made a significant contribution to the development of bilateral Russian-Syrian relations," the text of the message sent to the Syrian side says.
Earlier Monday, the SANA agency reported the death of al-Mouallem. The minister died at the age of 79 years, the cause of his death has not been disclosed.
Walid al-Moallem worked at the Syrian Foreign Ministry since 1964. He served in Syrian diplomatic missions in Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, was the ambassador to Romania and the US. He has led the Syrian Foreign Ministry since 2006.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS