{"id":11504,"date":"2022-11-29T16:28:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T13:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/makiej-a-talented-diplomat-remained-servant-to-dictatorship\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"makiej-a-talented-diplomat-remained-servant-to-dictatorship","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11504\/","title":{"rendered":"Makiej, a talented diplomat, remained servant to dictatorship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Foreign Minister <\/span><\/b>U\u0142adzimir<\/span><\/b>Makiej, who died suddenly on November 26, was a talented and skillful diplomat who remained loyal to his boss until the end. His achievements included rapprochement with the West, a policy that took heavy fire from Russian imperialists.<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t During the mid and late 2010s, often referred to as a period soft Belarusianization, Makiej showed up at his meetings with journalists dressed in an embroidered Belarusian shirt as he sought to emphasize his national identity.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In different political circumstances, he could be an instrumental figure in cementing Belarus\u2019 independence and expanding the country\u2019s ties with the European Union.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t However, he was loyal to Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka, a dictator hostile toward the EU and European values and reliant on the Kremlin for his political survival.\n<\/p>\n

Cautious effort to counterbalance Russian influence<\/h2>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka picked Makiej, a former head of his administration, to lead the foreign office in 2012 as Minsk sought to unfreeze relations with the West shredded by the brutal dispersal of the 2010 post-election rally and the imprisonment of dozens of political opponents.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Makiej launched a rapprochement process, obviously with \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s approval. Two years later, Minsk distanced itself from Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea. In February 2015, the Belarusian capital hosted a Normandy Four summit focusing on the Russian-Ukrainian settlement.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The EU suspended sanctions against Belarus in appreciation of Minsk\u2019s role as a neutral host. Makiej\u2019s foreign ministry promoted Belarus as a donor of regional stability and called for launching a new Helsinki process. Even critics conceded that the country\u2019s foreign policy was a success at the time.\n<\/p>\n

Triumph and tragedy<\/h2>\n

\n\t A decade ago, Minsk reached out to the West to counterbalance Russian influence as Moscow used its economic power to undermine Belarus\u2019 sovereignty.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Makiej played an instrumental role in diversifying Belarus\u2019 ties. Meanwhile, many politicians in Moscow saw him as an agent of Western influence.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In 2020 a number of Belarusian diplomats resigned from the foreign office in protest against a brutal police crackdown on peaceful protesters. Some of them joined the opposition.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t During the 10-year thaw in relations with the West, the foreign ministry made a significant effort to roll back Russian influence. In February 2020, for instance, \u0141uka\u0161enka received US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Minsk to discuss US oil deliveries amid a pricing dispute with Moscow.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Later the same month, Makiej called for a stronger partnership between Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and the United States at a reception marking the 274th<\/sup> birthday of Tadevu\u0161 Kasciu\u0161ka, an anti-Russian uprising leader.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The Belarusian government reverted to its aggressive anti-Western policy during 2020-21 protests against police violence and vote rigging in the presidential election.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The brutal crackdown on dissent met with a tough response from democratic leaders who imposed sanctions on the Belarusian regime. Minsk has scrambled back firmly into the Russian orbit.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Makiej stood by \u0141uka\u0161enka during the political crisis. In spring 2021, he warned the West that \u201cany further tightening of sanctions will lead to a situation where civil society will cease to exist.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Policy failure<\/h2>\n

\n\t The 2020 election put an end to Minsk\u2019s effort to counterbalance Russian influence by strengthening ties with the West. Minsk has redirected its diplomatic energies to Russia, South America, Asia and Africa.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Makiej\u2019s last foreign trip was to Iran. He also traveled to Yerevan recently for a security forum of Russia\u2019s Collective Security Treaty Organization allies.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In September, he met with European diplomats on the sidelines of a UN conference to discuss possible negotiations with the EU.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Rapprochement with Brussels and Washington now seems fanciful. Minsk is expected to make major concessions before any talks can begin, most importantly release political prisoners and demand that the Kremlin withdraw Russian troops from Belarus.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Belarus\u2019 alliance with Russia now seems to be unbreakable. The Makiej\u2019s era ends in defeat of his policy. A gifted diplomat, the ex-foreign minister missed a chance to go down in history as a brave man who stood up for a cause. He remained a servant to the nefarious system.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN Foreign Minister U\u0142adzimirMakiej, who died suddenly on November 26, was a talented and skillful diplomat who remained loyal to his boss until the end. His achievements included rapprochement with the West, a policy that took heavy fire from Russian imperialists. During the mid and late 2010s, often referred to as a period […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11504","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMakiej, a talented diplomat, remained servant to dictatorship | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN Foreign Minister U\u0142adzimirMakiej, who died suddenly on November 26, was a talented and skillful diplomat who remained\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11504\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Makiej, a talented diplomat, remained servant to dictatorship | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta 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