(FILES) In this file photo taken on July 17, 2012 Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with UN-Arab League special envoy and peace mediator Kofi Annan during their meeting in central Moscow. - Former United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan has died on August 18, 2018 after a short illness at the age of 80, his foundation announced. "It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness," the foundation said in a statement. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)