Sergei Rekeda, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The evening of January 21 in the corridors of the residence of the Kazakh president turned out to be full of important events, the main one of which was the unexpected personnel decision of Nursultan Nazarbayev. The State Secretary Marat Tazhin was removed from his position and temporary replaced by the head of the Presidential administration Karim Masimov. Several minutes later the Ambassador to Russia Galym Orazbakov was also shifted from his post that he held since April 2012.
In this chain of the personnel decisions there are several unusual moments.First of all, is there a connection between the removals of Tazhin and Orazbakov? Some sources from the Alma-Ata experts immediately suggested that Marat Tazhin would soon be appointed the Ambassador to Russia. Even more surprising looks the fact that Nursultan Nazarabayev made the head of the Presidential administration to perform, although temporarily, the duties of the State Secretary. This is unprecedented in the history of independent Kazakhstan. The question is whether the removal of Tazhin was so unexpected that no candidate was prepared to replace him? Or does it mean that after the removal of the main ideologist of the country some other structural changes will be made and the functions of the state secretary will be considerably changed? Probably, in favor of the presidential administration that would then completely concentrate the control over the ideological questions.
As for the Russian vector of the personnel changes, nothing is clear here either. For example, many Russian experts noted the growth of Tazhin's infuence in the intra-elite questions during 2012-2013. It is logical to ask - will Marat Tazhin, should he be appointed the Ambassador to Russia, be sent there with a super-important mission to finish the negotiations about the Eurasian Economic Union? Or, on the contrary, will he be excluded from the big politics that will most likely develop around the potential successor of Nursultan Nazarbayev?
On the other hand, the numerous talents of Marat Tazhin can be used allegedly in one of the Kazakhstan regions where the local governor position should soon be vacant. Or even the position in the law-enforcement agencies? Although the local experts believe this option to be not very likely.
At the same time, the possible candidate to the position of the Ambassador to Russia can be another political heavy-weight - Aslan Musin who recently left the post of the Head of the Audit Chamber of Kazakhstan and not is waiting for the new job. In any case, both potential candidates reveal how much importance Astana gives to the Russian direction.
As for Galym Orasbakov, no reproaches were voiced to his work and therefore most likely he will soon get a new appointment that will not necessarily be connected to the diplomatic activity.
Will Marat Tazhin we sent with this super-important mission to finish the negotiations on the agreement about the Eurasian Economic Union?
