The foreign minister of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, passed away on Saturday at the age of 64, according to the state news agency Belta. "Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has passed away suddenly," Belta reported.

Makei had held his post since 2012.

He was scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Monday after attending a conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of several post-Soviet states, earlier this week in Yerevan.

"We are shocked by the reports of the death of the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova posted on her Telegram channel.

"Official condolences will be published soon."

More updates to follow...

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