Kazakh President Appoints New First Deputy Foreign Minister

President of Kazakhstan has signed a decree appointing Yerzhan Ashikbayev as the first deputy minister of foreign affairs.

Ashikbayev assumes the role with a distinguished record in diplomacy and public service. Most recently, he served as Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the US, and earlier held the position of deputy foreign minister, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

His career also includes key government roles such as Deputy Head of the Prime Minister’s Office and Official Representative of the Government in 2012, and Chief of the Foreign Policy Centre within the Presidential Administration from 2012 to 2013.

A graduate of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (1998), Ashikbayev went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration from the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School in 2012.

Fluent in Russian, English, Turkish, and French, Ashikbayev is widely regarded as one of Kazakhstan’s most experienced and respected diplomats, with deep expertise in international relations and foreign policy strategy.

His appointment comes following the dismissal of Akan Rakhmetullin, who previously held the post of first deputy foreign minister.