Russian Lavrov postpones visit to Belarus after the sudden death of Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei

Adriana Lima
By Adriana Lima 3 Min Read
origin 1Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, who died at the age of 64, gestures as he speaks during his annual press conference in Kiev, Belarus on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. ©AP Photo, File

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has postponed a planned visit to Minsk following the death of his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei, according to Russian media reports citing the Foreign Ministry.

The Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Saturday that longtime foreign minister and aide to authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko died suddenly. The cause of death was not given and Makei was not known to suffer from any chronic illnesses.

Makei, 64, was due to meet Lavrov on Monday. Last week you attended a conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a military alliance of several post-Soviet states – in Yerevan.

Prior to Belarus’ contentious 2020 presidential election – which was widely seen as rigged and triggered mass anti-government protests – Makei had been a spearhead of efforts to improve Belarus’ relations with the West and had criticized Russia.

However, he abruptly changed his stance after the protests began, saying they were inspired by agents of the West.

Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, commenting on the minister’s death, called Makei a traitor to the Belarusian people.

“In 2020, Makei betrayed the Belarusian people and supported tyranny. This is how the Belarusian people will remember him,” Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter.

A few days before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, Makei promised that there would be no attacks on Ukraine from the territory of Belarus. The entry of Russian troops into Ukraine proved him wrong.

A proponent of close ties between Moscow and Minsk, Makei said the West provoked the war and Ukrainian authorities should accept Russian peace terms.

In September, he defended Belarus’ position at the United Nations Security Council, rejecting claims that his country was an “accomplice of the aggressor” or a party to the conflict.

Lukashenko, who crushed the 2020 protests and kept power in Belarus, has offered his condolences to Makei’s family, according to the presidential office.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said ministry officials were shocked by news of Makei’s death.

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