Vladimir Makei, Belarus foreign minister, passed away on Saturday, November 26 at the age of 64, according to the nation’s foreign ministry.
The Foreign Ministry of Belarus announced on its official Facebook page that “Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, has suddenly passed away today,” without going into further detail on the circumstances of the foreign minister’s passing.
Makei was born in the Grodno region of Belarus, in 1958 and had been the foreign minister since August 2012, according to the website of the foreign ministry.
According to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti, Makei was supposed to meet with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov on Monday before he passed away.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, sent his sympathies to Makei’s family and friends on Saturday.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that it was “deeply shocked” to learn of his passing.
It said, “As head of the Foreign Ministry, he made a great contribution to the further strengthening of Russian-Belarusian relations.
“Being an established professional and a sincere patriot of his country, he firmly and effectively defended the interests of the Republic of Belarus on international platforms,” the ministry continued, adding that “this is a heavy, irreparable loss.”