Lok Sabha on Friday paid rich tributes to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin who passed away on Monday, describing him as the one who laid the foundation of a renewed partnership between the two countries.
"He (Yeltsin) will be remembered as the first president of the Russian Federation who steered the country through difficult times of transition," Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said making an obituary reference as soon as the House met for the day.
Yeltsin will also be remembered as "one who laid the foundation of a renewed partnership between India and the Russian Federation," the speaker said.
Conveying deep condolences to Yeltsin's family, Chatterjee said the House joins the leadership and the people of the Russian Federation in mourning his passing away.
The House stood in silence for a brief while as a mark of respect to the memory of the departed soul.
Yeltsin, 76, died of a heart failure.