Lukashenko appointed a new pro-Western foreign minister
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko appointed Sergei Aleynik as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The previous minister, Vladimir Makei, who was considered pro-Western, died suddenly two weeks ago. Ukrainian media spread the theory that he was killed by Russian special services in order to deprive Lukashenko of a channel of negotiations with the West.
Until now, Aleinik served in the Foreign Ministry as First Deputy Minister. Congratulating him on his appointment, Lukashenko said, " It won't be easy ."
Belarusian political scientist Pyotr Petrovsky points out that Aleynik was considered Makei’s right hand for many years.
“Like the former minister, he graduated from the Minsk Institute of Foreign Languages and the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. He worked in various diplomatic positions in Western countries (from Great Britain to the Order of Hospitallers). This means the continuity of the course of the MFA from the time of Makey. Of course, the style will change, but not the strategy,” Petrovsky wrote in his TG channel.
His colleague Alexander Shpakovsky emphasized that this was Lukashenko’s choice.
“The line of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in our country is determined by the president. Aleinik, like Makei, will move in line with Lukashenko’s instructions,” he wrote.
Lukashenko Appoints New Pro-Western Foreign Minister