Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Belarus’ top diplomat, ally to president, dies at 64
The Belarusian state news agency says that the foreign minister has died at the age of 64.
Vladimir Makei, was a close ally of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The news agency gave no cause of death in its report on Saturday.
Makei was Lukashenko’s chief of staff prior to becoming foreign minister in 2012. During his tenure, Belarus came under repeated criticism from the West for its increasingly harsh suppression of the opposition and for allowing Russian troops to be based there during the war in Ukraine.