Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Qasım-Jomart Kemelulı Toqayev (Kazakh: Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев) or Kassym-Zhomart Kemelevich Tokaev (Russian: Касым-Жомарт Кемелевич Токаев) - born on 17 May 1953 - has served as the Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan since Senators unanimously elected him on 11 January 2007. He served as the Foreign Minister in the Government of Kazakhstan from June 2003 to 8 January 2007. Yerzhan N. Ashykbayev served as the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry until Ilyas Omarov replaced him in December 2006. In 2011, he was appointed as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).

Tokayev previously served as Foreign Minister, from October 1994 until March 1999, when he became the Deputy Prime Minister. On October 1, 1999, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed him acting Prime Minister when Nurlan Balgimbayev resigned. The Parliament confirmed him as Prime Minister later that month. He served as Prime Minister until 28 January 2002 when he became the State Secretary-Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served until June 2003 when he became Foreign Minister again.