Muratt Nurtleu. Photo: press service of the President of Kazakhstan
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dismissed Murat Nurtleu from his post as foreign minister and appointed him presidential aide for international investment and trade cooperation, Akorda reported.
By another decree, Tokayev named Yermek Kosherbayev, formerly deputy prime minister, as the new foreign minister.
Political analyst Gaziz Abishev explained that Nurtleu is moving to the Presidential Administration (PA) to a position previously held by Yerzhan Kazykhan. The title has been slightly rephrased: Kazykhan was “aide on international affairs,” while Nurtleu is designated “aide on international investment and trade cooperation.”
Kazykhan, in turn, has been appointed Kazakhstan’s representative to the United Nations and other international organizations and will soon depart for Geneva.
According to Abishev, the new foreign minister, Kosherbayev, was approved without the rank of deputy prime minister, which his predecessor Nurtleu had held.
“One possibility is that the additional responsibilities for investment matters, which Nurtleu oversaw as deputy head of the Cabinet, are moving with him to the Presidential Administration,” Abishev suggested.
In early September, Orda.kz reported that Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and businessman Gadji Gadzhiev, head of Kazakhstan’s Weightlifting Federation, had been detained. Media sources in law enforcement claimed searches had been carried out at their homes. Authorities denied the reports, accusing the outlet of spreading fake news in violation of the law. More on that story [here].
