Officials say Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has died at the age of 64

CNN
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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Vladimir Maki On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced his sudden death at the age of 64.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its official Facebook account, “Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, passed away suddenly today,” without providing further details about the surrounding circumstances. Minister of Foreign Affairs the death.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko On Saturday, he expressed his condolences to Makki’s family and friends, according to a statement posted on the presidency’s website.

Mackie was scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday. Russians Ministry of Foreign Affairs In a statement, she said she mourns the news of his death, calling him a “true friend” of Russia.

“The leadership and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation deeply regret the sudden death of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei on November 26 of this year,” the statement read.

An outstanding diplomat, statesman and true patriot who devoted his life to serving his motherland and protecting its interests in the international arena has passed away.

“Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei was a true friend of Russia, he made a unique contribution to the comprehensive development of broad bilateral cooperation, the establishment of the Union State, and the strengthening of relations between the fraternal peoples of Russia and Belarus.

“Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei will forever remain in our hearts as a man of broad soul and deep wisdom, a brilliant professional, colleague and loyal comrade, who won the love and respect not only of his countrymen, but also far beyond the borders of Belarus.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Lavrov’s scheduled visit to Minsk on Monday had been postponed after Makki’s death.

Mackey was born in 1958 in the Belarusian region of Grodno, according to his official biography on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

In 1980 he graduated from the Minsk Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. From 1980 to 1993 he served in the Armed Forces of the USSR and Belarus, before becoming an assistant to the President of Belarus. From 2008 to 2012 he held the position of Head of the Administration of the President of Belarus.

Vladimir Makei has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus since August 22, 2012. He had the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

in the lead-up Russian invasion In February, Mackie confirmed that no one would attack Ukraine from the territory of Belarus. This came during a phone conversation between the defense ministers of Belarus and Ukraine and was confirmed by Mackie at a press conference in Minsk, according to a report published by the Belarusian News Agency.

According to the minister, the phone call took place at the initiative of Kyiv. He stressed that Belarus has always supported an open dialogue and is ready to conduct it on any sensitive issues.

Issues were discussed in a positive manner. Much has been made clear to both sides, primarily to the Ukrainian side. From our side, a clear statement was made that no one will attack,” the minister said in remarks that were proven false several days later.

He added that Belarus has not deviated from the friendly approach in relations with its neighbor Ukraine.

On February 28, Bilta quoted Maki as saying that Belarus is ready to contribute to resolving the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

“Of course, all Belarusians are interested in getting a tangible result,” he said, according to the agency.