BUCHAREST, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to convey condolences to the family of former president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, who passed away on Monday, at the age of 76, stated on Monday Romanian diplomacy chief Adrian Cioroianu.

    "Boris Yeltsin was a very interesting and spectacular personality because he was a decisive player in the final collapse of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the '90s," appreciated Cioroianu.

    He mentioned that even though, currently, some anecdotic episodes dominate the collective thinking than other instances linked to Yeltsin's Kremlin mandate, his historical role will be surely relevant in the upcoming period.

    Cioroianu, professor of contemporary history with the University in Bucharest, said he studied Boris Yeltsin's era with much interest.

    Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died on Monday of heart failure.