The heart of Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei stopped beating on 26 November 2022. All of a sudden! Nothing could foretell such a tragic end of the week, during which the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was busy doing what he always did - meetings, trips, and visits. At the end of the week he headed home as always, to his family and loved ones.
Now his earthly journey is over, and he will forever remain in his native Belarus. So will the memory of him and his deeds.
It is hard to imagine the face of modern Belarus without Vladimir Makei. He stayed committed to the head of state and his country while serving in different high positions. He gave his knowledge, experience and most of his life to building a strong sovereign state. For this reason he was among the long-livers on the political Olympus, and enjoyed well-deserved and sincere respect of all, both of friends and opponents.
Death is always pain, shock, and grief. When it happens, it takes more than one person. An outstanding statesman, a professional minister, a talented diplomat, a true patriot, a reliable friend and colleague, a good family man, a loving father and husband has passed away. In Vladimir Makei we lost all these people at once.
Everyone will remember him in their own way. Let us not speak for everyone, but as for contacts with journalists, Vladimir Makei was always very open and friendly. He often liked to have a talk on the sidelines, sometimes off the record, about the details of the processes taking place.
It was also known that Vladimir Makei was quite demanding in respect to his staff. As the saying goes, harsh but fair. How else could it be? They often called him simply and briefly – VV [Vladimir Vladimirovich]. But despite the brevity, it always sounded a little mysterious, and among other things had a considerable disciplinary effect.
Family was a completely different side of his life. For all the public work of Vladimir Makei and his wife, an actress and now the head of the Young Spectator Theater Vera Polyakova-Makei, there was a feeling that they treated their little world reverently, mostly keeping it for themselves and their nearest and dearest. But even so, it was impossible not to notice a special relationship on rare, but very warm family photos on social networks, and during their joint outings.
Let us remember some moments from the life of Vladimir Makei, this great multifaceted man.
