CNN
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The Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makei has died on the age of 64, the nation’s overseas ministry mentioned Saturday.
“Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, has suddenly passed away today,” the Foreign Ministry mentioned in its official Facebook account, with out offering extra particulars concerning the circumstances surrounding the overseas minister’s demise.
Makei was born in 1958 within the Belarusian area of Grodno. He had been within the submit since August 2012, in response to his official bio on the overseas ministry’s web site.
Makei was scheduled to satisfy with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, in response to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday expressed his condolences to the household and pals of Makei, in response to an announcement revealed on the presidential web site.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs added in an announcement that it was “deeply shocked” by the information of his demise.
“As head of the Foreign Ministry, he made a great contribution to the further strengthening of Russian-Belarusian relations,” it mentioned.
“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, including that “this is a heavy, irreparable loss.”