Belarus' Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei
(Picture: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, a longtime associate of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, has died at age 64.
Mr Makei is not known to have suffered from any chronic illnesses and a cause of death is unknown.
Prior to becoming foreign minister in 2012, he served as Mr Lukashenko’s chief of staff and earlier had worked as presidential adviser.
Mr Lukashenko offered his condolences to Mr Makei’s family, according to the presidential office.
During Mr Makei’s tenure as Belarus’ top diplomat, it came under repeated criticism from the West for an increasingly harsh suppression of the opposition, for dubious elections and allowing Russian troops to use its territory for attacking Ukraine.
In September, Mr Makei defended Belarus’ position to the United Nations Security Council.
In reference to his country’s close alliance with Russia, he said: “Belarus is referred to as an ‘accomplice of the aggressor’ or even a party to the conflict. We have said and continue to say: Belarus has never advocated the war. But we are not traitors either!”
“We have allied commitments, and we are strictly following and will follow the spirit and letter of international treaties to which we are parties.”
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said ministry officials were shocked by news of the death.
She wrote on Telegram: “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.
“Official condolences will be published soon.”
