Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei dies

Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei died on Saturday, according to a brief report by the Belarusian state media service Belta. He was 64.

Before entering government service, Makei had a military career in Soviet Belarus from 1980 to 1993, where he eventually rose to the rank of colonel.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Makei held various positions, including deputy head of the State Protocol Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representative of the Republic of Belarus to the Council of Europe, and adviser to the Embassy of Belarus in France.

The cause of death remains unclear. Makei had been in office since 2012.

With postal wires