The world, particularly the world of diplomacy and politicians, will mourn the loss of Robin Cook – the very vocal and critical former British Foreign Secretary.

The Scottish redhead died at the age of 59 while walking on Ben Stack mountain in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday afternoon. At least he passed away doing something he loved.

Mr Cook was sometimes seen to be distant and arrogant, yet his peers on both sides of the House had the utmost respect for him.

When he resigned from Tony Blair’s cabinet in 2003 over the Iraq war – he made his speech and was given a round of applause by both Labour and Tories… that is testament to the high regard in which he was held.

Mr Cook was perceived to be a politician with very strong beliefs and an equally strong will – look at the way he challenged Mr Blair over the war when he questioned why Britain wanted to wage war against a power that had been in existence for 20 years, and which, he pointed out, Britain had helped create in the first place.

He was equally witty with his replies and especially sharp in political debates – able to turn an opposition argument on its head in mere minutes. If one ever had the pleasure of listening to Mr Cook’s replies during question time, then a lot could be learnt from the way he handled criticism and attacks on the government.

He was once asked by the press whether he would stand against Tony Blair for the leadership of the Labour Party and he famously quipped in reply: “Of course not, I’m not good-looking enough.” Again, a lot can be learned from Mr Cook.

He constantly worked towards a more ethical foreign policy on the part of the UK – but he was, of course, prone to the odd mistake. One of these involved sanctioning the sale of UK fighter aircraft to Indonesia in 1999 – despite their track record on human rights in East Timor.

Another blunder was when he offered the UK as a mediator between Pakistan and India over Kashmir – both sides took offence.

But apart from a few wobblies on the way, Mr Cook will in particular be remembered for his dogged and tough stance in handling the Kosovo crisis in 1999.

Desperately moved by the crisis, he and Tony Blair played a crucial role in winning international backing to stop the slaughter in the Balkans.

He got his reward when he finally arrived in the Kosovo capital of Pristina to be hailed as a hero, with thousands of liberated people chanting his name.

He was a man of principle, he could not face going to war in Iraq so he resigned – a man of conviction who practiced what he preached.

Some believed he was arrogant and distant, yet his supporters believed that he should have been the Labour Party’s leader. Everyone, however, agreed on his intelligence and his brilliant debates. He will be sorely missed in political circles.

As British Prime Minister Tony Blair put it, in his tribute to Mr Cook: “Robin was an outstanding, extraordinary talent – brilliant, incisive in debate, of incredible skill and persuasive power. He was always stimulating, energetic and, of course, grasped every detail of his brief. Though we disagreed over Iraq, I always respected the way in which he put his case.”

Respectful words indeed.