Government appointments - The Times Of Central Asia

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Ministry of Defense

Kazakhstan Names Former Finance Official Deputy Defense Minister Amid Military Shake-Up

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Tatyana Savelyeva deputy defense minister on October 7. The former vice minister of finance and member of parliament joins a ministry undergoing a major investigation following the deaths of 14 service members during exercises in the Caspian Sea. The investigation has led to criminal cases and arrests, while senior military commanders have been dismissed. Savelyeva replaced Asker Beisenov, who was dismissed from his position on the same day. To take up the appointment, she resigned early from the Kurultai, Kazakhstan's new unicameral parliament. Savelyeva joined it in late August 2026. The 50-year-old Savelyeva has spent most of her career working in public finance. From 2016 to 2023, she served as vice minister of finance, then became a member of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the former parliament, and secretary of the Committee on Finance and Budget. She became the committee’s chair in February 2024. In August 2026, she was elected to the Kurultai representing the Adilet party. The Defense Ministry has not yet announced which areas Savelyeva will oversee. Her predecessor, Beisenov, previously headed the ministry's Department of Economics and Finance. Political analyst Daniyar Ashimbayev links Savelyeva's appointment to the investigation into the Defense Ministry following the deaths of the service members in the Caspian Sea. He recalled corruption investigations within the ministry, including irregularities in military procurement and supplies. In Ashimbayev's assessment, Savelyeva's experience in the Finance Ministry and parliament could prove useful in bringing order to the military budget. On September 24, during the Khazar Qorgany 2026 naval exercises in the Mangystau region, on Kazakhstan's Caspian coast, 17 service members were swept out to sea. Three were rescued, and 14 died. The tragedy sparked public outrage and questions about how the exercises were organized, personnel training, and the actions of the military command. On September 27, Tokayev dismissed Defense Minister Dauren Kosanov. Aidos Myrzakhmetov became the new head of the ministry. The chief of the General Staff, the commander-in-chief of the Naval Forces, and other senior military officers subsequently lost their positions. On October 5, the president was presented with the initial findings of the Defense Ministry investigation. A commission headed by Deputy Chair of the Security Council Aida Balayeva identified violations in the organization of exercises, service member safety, discipline, and logistical support. Thirteen criminal cases have been opened over the suspected theft of state property, abuse of office, and other violations. The deaths of the service members are being investigated separately. At the October 5 briefing, officials said five military officials had been arrested in connection with the deaths. On October 6, the Interior Ministry announced the detention of former navy commander Kanat Niyazbekov on suspicion of negligence, with a court authorizing his arrest. Investigators also uncovered cases of hazing and violence against service members. Tokayev instructed officials to prepare a military reform plan, including changes to management, personnel training, discipline, and safety measures. On September 27, he gave the Security Council Office and Defense Ministry ten days to submit the...

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Orders Military Overhaul After 14 Die in Caspian Drills

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has replaced the country’s defense minister, three days after 14 servicemen were killed during military exercises in the Caspian Sea. Tokayev appointed Aidos Myrzakhmetov to lead the ministry, ordered a broad inspection of the Defense Ministry, and gave officials ten days to prepare a military reform plan. Dauren Kosanov, who had held the role since June 2025, was dismissed on September 27. On the same day, Tokayev appointed Myrzakhmetov and introduced him at a meeting of senior Defense Ministry officials. Myrzakhmetov, 45, is a career officer who spent much of his career in the State Guard Service before being appointed commander of the Armed Forces’ Special Operations Forces in January 2024. He graduated from the National Defense University in 2025 and holds the rank of major general. [caption id="attachment_57120" align="aligncenter" width="750"] New Defense Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan meets with the President; image: Akorda[/caption] Political analyst Adil Seifullin said the appointment appeared to continue a practice of moving officers with State Guard Service experience into senior government roles where officials face difficult decisions. He said Myrzakhmetov’s combination of experience in the service and direct command of the Special Operations Forces may have been among the factors behind his selection. Tokayev set several priorities for the new minister, including reassessing the effectiveness of military spending, overhauling the command system, accelerating digitalization, and using technology instead of personnel for dangerous tasks where possible. He also said appointments to command positions should be based on experience and professional qualifications “rather than the principle of personal loyalty.” “Our army is stuck in the last century,” Tokayev said, calling for the command system to be rebuilt using international experience. The Security Council staff and Defense Ministry have ten days to prepare a phased military reform plan, which is due to be considered at a Security Council meeting in the second half of October. Tokayev specifically instructed officials not to produce another set of lengthy concepts and road maps, but to propose concrete measures. The overhaul follows the deaths of 14 servicemen during the Khazar Qorgany 2026 exercises in the Mangystau region on September 24. Seventeen servicemen were swept into the sea during a personnel landing operation from the Qaisar boat. Three were rescued, and 14 died. September 25 was declared a day of national mourning in Kazakhstan. The Interior Ministry’s military investigative department opened a criminal case over suspected negligence and violations of navigation rules. Five members of the military command were subsequently detained as suspects. These included the chief of staff and first deputy commander-in-chief of the Naval Forces, two military unit commanders, a Marine Corps company commander, and the commander of the boat. The Times of Central Asia previously reported on the tragedy and investigation, as well as the response of victims’ relatives. The tragedy also raised questions about how the landing operation itself was organized. Azerbaijani military expert and reserve colonel Shair Ramaldanov said that, as he understood it, the Qaisar normally carried a crew of four...

Government appointments

New Kazakhstan Government Retains Core Economic Team

Kazakhstan completed the formation of its first government under the country’s new unicameral parliament on September 3. Olzhas Bektenov remains prime minister and the core economic team will stay in place, but there were changes at the foreign, culture and information, ecology, and emergency situations ministries. The government resigned on August 28 following the election of the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, which replaced the Senate and Mazhilis. Ministers continued serving in an acting capacity while the new cabinet was formed. On August 31, the Kurultai approved Bektenov’s candidacy for prime minister. He received 137 votes, with seven lawmakers abstaining and none voting against. Continuity Across the Economic Team The new cabinet is marked above all by continuity. Nurlуbek Nalibayev remains first deputy prime minister. Serik Zhumangarin will continue to combine the positions of deputy prime minister and minister of national economy, while Kanat Bozumbayev remains deputy prime minister. Zhaslan Madiyev retained his dual role as deputy prime minister and minister of artificial intelligence and digital development. Madi Takiyev will continue to head the Finance Ministry, Yersayin Nagaspayev the Ministry of Industry and Construction, and Arman Shakkaliyev the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Yerlan Akkenzhenov remains as energy minister at a difficult time for Kazakhstan’s oil sector. In 2026, the country repeatedly faced disruptions to exports through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), the main route carrying Kazakh oil through Russia to the Black Sea. Astana is simultaneously trying to increase exports through alternative routes, expand oil refining, and bring new energy capacity online. Nurlan Sauranbayev will continue overseeing transport. Before joining the government in 2025, Sauranbayev spent four years heading Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the national railway company. Aidarbek Saparov remains agriculture minister, while Nurzhan Nurzhigitov is staying on as minister of water resources and irrigation. The latter ministry is responsible, among other things, for transboundary water issues – one of the most sensitive regional challenges in Central Asia. Galymzhan Koishybayev also retained his position as deputy prime minister and chief of staff of the government, a dual role he has held since January 2023. The main security ministries also retained their leaders. Dauren Kosanov continues as defense minister, Yerzhan Sadenov as interior minister, and Yerlan Sarsembayev as justice minister. Changes at Foreign Affairs and Other Ministries The most prominent new appointment came a day before the rest of the cabinet was confirmed. On September 2, Mukhtar Tleuberdi returned as foreign minister. He previously headed Kazakhstan’s diplomatic service from 2019 to 2023, including during the first year following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For the past three years, Tleuberdi represented Kazakhstan as ambassdor to Austria and at international organizations in Vienna. Tleuberdi replaced Yermek Kosherbayev, who spent less than a year as foreign minister. His return comes as Kazakhstan deepens economic ties with China, negotiates with the United States and European Union on critical minerals, and seeks additional oil export routes while maintaining close relations with Russia. Arman Kyrykbayev was appointed minister of culture and information, replacing Aida Balayeva after she...

Government appointments

Mukhtar Tleuberdi Returns as Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Mukhtar Tleuberdi as foreign minister on September 2. One of Kazakhstan’s most experienced diplomats is returning to a post he previously held from 2019 to 2023. For the past three years, Tleuberdi has represented Kazakhstan in Austria and at international organizations in Vienna. Tleuberdi replaces Yermek Kosherbayev, who had headed the Foreign Ministry since September 2025. The change comes as a new administration takes shape following the election of the Kurultai. Kosherbayev spent less than a year in the post, but his tenure coincided with an intensification of Kazakhstan’s relationship with the United States. In July, he discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Kazakh oil exports through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, cooperation on critical minerals, U.S. investment, and preparations for Tokayev’s visit to the United States. Experience Returns Tleuberdi began his diplomatic career in 1993 and went on to hold ambassadorial and senior Foreign Ministry posts, including as ambassador to Malaysia and Switzerland. He returned to Astana as first deputy foreign minister in 2016 before taking over the ministry in September 2019. From January 2021 until April 2023, he also served as deputy prime minister. His first term as foreign minister coincided with one of the most challenging periods for Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Astana maintained close political and economic relations with Moscow while continuing to develop ties with China, the United States, and the European Union. In the context of the war in Ukraine, Kazakhstan continued to advocate respect for the principle of states’ territorial integrity. Tleuberdi represented that position in talks with the country’s major foreign partners. In 2022, his foreign travel itinerary included the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Japan, and Central Asian states. Tleuberdi left the government in April 2023 and was succeeded as foreign minister by Murat Nurtleu. Several months later, he was appointed Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Austria, while also representing Kazakhstan at international organizations based there, including the OSCE and IAEA. Tleuberdi now returns to the Foreign Ministry amid a restructuring of Kazakhstan’s political system. His appointment is among the first major personnel decisions following the start of work by the Kurultai, the country’s new unicameral parliament, which replaced the previous bicameral legislature. On August 31, Tokayev appointed Yerlan Karin as vice president, a position created by Kazakhstan’s 2026 constitutional reform. Olzhas Bektenov remained prime minister, while Aida Balayeva moved from the government to become deputy chair of the Security Council. Tleuberdi’s second term begins with a complex foreign policy agenda. Kazakhstan is simultaneously expanding economic ties with China, developing cooperation with the United States and the EU on critical minerals, seeking to diversify its oil export routes, and maintaining close relations with Russia.