Vladimir Makei, the long-standing foreign minister of Belarus has passed away suddenly at the age of 64, the state news agency Belta reported on Saturday (November 26).
Makei, who held his post since 2012, was supposed to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Minsk on Monday.
Belta state news agency reported citing the foreign ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz: “The Belarusian foreign minister Vladimir Makei has died suddenly.”
Earlier this week, Makei attended a conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Yerevan. CSTO is a military alliance of several post soviet states.
Experts had expressed concerns ahead of Russia’s “special military” operation in Ukraine that Moscow would send troops to the neighbouring nation via Belarus. But Makei had dismissed claims.
However, the Russians reportedly did it anyway as the Belarusian leadership—a close ally of the Kremlin—allowed Belarusian territory to be used by Moscow’s troops in February.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted in her Telegram channel: “We are shocked by the reports of the death of the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei.”
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko also expressed his condolences.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkey’s minister of foreign affairs tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the news of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei’s passing away.”
The tweet added, “He was a good man & a good friend. Extend my heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family & the people of Belarus. May his soul rest in peace.”
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