MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Yevgeny Primakov, considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern Russian diplomacy, died at the age of 85 earlier in the day, after a long illness. Putin expressed his condolences over the death of the former prime minister.
"With great sadness and bitterness we received the news on the death of a dear friend, Mr. Yevgeny Primakov. With his death, the Russian people have lost a friend, and one of the most prominent personalities, an experienced researcher and an outstanding politician who left a large footprint, both internationally and on the regional level," Abbas said in a message obtained by Sputnik.
Primakov served as the Foreign Intelligence Service chief from 1991 to 1996, as a Russian foreign minister from January 1996 until September 1998 and was prime minister of the Russian Federation from September 1998 to May 1999.
