President Obama issued a warm statement of goodwill for Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., who lost his Republican primary today to Richard Mourdock after 36 years in the Senate.

“I want to express my deep appreciation for Dick Lugar’s distinguished service in the United States Senate,” said Obama, who was a “friend and colleague” of Lugar’s when he was senator. “My administration’s efforts to secure the world’s most dangerous weapons has been based on the work that Senator Lugar began, as well as the bipartisan cooperation we forged during my first overseas trip as a Senator to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.”