Diplomatic relations between the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Republic of Belarus were formally established on 30 April 1996. Since then, bilateral ties have been strengthened through regular dialogue and high-level contacts.

In 1999, Ural Latypov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, participated in the celebrations marking the 900th anniversary of the Sovereign Order of Malta, an event that contributed to raising the profile of relations between the two sides.

An important phase of diplomatic engagement began in 2008, when the Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Martynov, met the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Jean-Pierre Mazery in Rome. A further meeting between the two took place on 25 February 2009, confirming the continuity of political dialogue between the two sides.

These exchanges paved the way for a significant milestone in bilateral relations. On 28 April 2009, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, paid an official visit to the Sovereign Order of Malta. This visit marked a decisive step in institutional cooperation. On that occasion, a Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Minsk Region Executive Committee and the Order’s Embassy in Minsk, and a Postal Agreement was concluded between the two parties, further consolidating diplomatic and administrative relations.

High-level contacts continued in the following years. On 26 October 2012, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus and Ambassador to the Order of Malta, Sergei Aleinik, visited the Grand Chancellor in Rome.
In 2016, the Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager visited Minsk, where he was received by the Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei. During this visit, a joint declaration was signed to implement new humanitarian projects.

Alongside this diplomatic framework, humanitarian cooperation has remained the most enduring and meaningful dimension of relations between the Order of Malta and Belarus. Even before the establishment of formal diplomatic ties, at the end of the 1980s, the Order’s Polish, Belgian and Italian associations were already active in assisting children affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe. This early engagement laid the foundations for a long-term presence in the country.

Over the years, the Order of Malta has worked steadily in Belarus in close coordination with Caritas Belarus, the Roman Catholic Church, and regional and local state authorities. Its activities have included the distribution of essential goods, support for orphans and children who lost a parent as a result of the disaster, and assistance in the renovation of social facilities such as kindergartens and children’s holiday homes.

Humanitarian cooperation has continued to adapt to new challenges. In November 2021, the Order of Malta launched a programme to distribute food and basic necessities to migrants stranded along the border between Poland and Belarus, working closely with its long-standing partner Caritas. At the same time, Malteser Hilfsdienst and Caritas Belarus have continued to support disadvantaged populations living in the border regions including the poor and people with disabilities, as part of a broader humanitarian engagement by Malteser Hilfsdienst that extends to other regions of Belarus. Thanks to these established partnerships, the Order of Malta has been able to respond promptly and effectively to emerging humanitarian crises.