On Saturday, the Foreign Ministry of Belarus announced that Vladimir Makei, the country’s Foreign Minister, had passed away abruptly at the age of 64.
Without providing further details, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus announced on its official Facebook account, “Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, has suddenly passed away today.”
In a statement released on the official presidential website on Saturday, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko sent his sympathies to Makei’s loved ones.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Makei were supposed to meet on Monday. He was a “genuine friend” of Russia, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement expressing sadness over the news of his death.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei passed away on November 26, and the leadership and personnel of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sadly mourn his passing.
An exceptional diplomat and statesman has passed away, he was a great patriot who spent his life defending the interests of his Motherland abroad.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei was a loyal ally of Russia who helped build a stronger Union State and closer links between the Russian and Belarusian peoples.
Two days ago, Belarus’ FM, Vladimir Makei, suddenly died.
I’m going to talk about the context and theories about why.
TL;DR, I think they’re pressuring Lukashenko to get Belarus to cooperate with Russia in the war.
First up is the verification this actually happened.
— JChoe (@JoohnChoe) November 29, 2022
“Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei will forever remain in our hearts as a man of a broad soul and deep wisdom, a brilliant professional, colleague and faithful comrade, who won the love and respect not only of the citizens of his country but also far beyond the borders of Belarus.”
Following Makei’s passing, Lavrov’s Monday visit to Minsk was canceled, as confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
A “Friendly Approach” to Ukraine
An official bio on the foreign ministry website states that Makei was born in the Grodno area of Belarus in 1958. He completed his studies in foreign languages at the Minsk State Pedagogical Institute in 1980.
He served in the Soviet and Belarusian Armed Forces from 1980 to 1993, and then he became an aide to the president of Belarus. He led the Belarusian president’s office as its chief executive from 2008 to 2012.
Since August 22, 2012, Vladimir Makei has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Belarus. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary was his official diplomatic title.
NEW: Belarus’s long-standing foreign minister has died suddenly.
State news stated that Vladimir Makei’s death was sudden and unexpected, but did not give further detail. #DiedSuddenly pic.twitter.com/daiIyfimu6
— DiedSuddenly (@DiedSuddenly_) November 27, 2022
Makei insisted in the days leading up to Russia’s invasion in February that no one would invade Ukraine from Belarus. According to Belta, the Belarusian news agency, Makei reiterated this at a press conference in Minsk after it had been discussed during a phone call between the military ministers of Belarus and Ukraine.
The minister claims that the phone call was initiated by the Ukrainian capital. He reaffirmed Belarus’s commitment to and readiness for open engagement on any and all subjects.
All around, the conversation was constructive. The Ukrainians benefited the most from the newfound clarity, but everyone benefited from the exchange. Several days later, the minister’s claims that “no one was going to attack” were disproven by events.
He also said that Belarus and its neighbour Ukraine have always maintained cordial relations. Belta reported on February 28 that Makei had said that Belarus was prepared to help resolve the issue between Russia and Ukraine.
“Of course, all Belarusians are interested in having a concrete result,” he said according to the agency. Visit us here on Lee Daily for more news like this.
