Presidential Decree Appoints Arman Isagaliyev as Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister
Kazakhstan has appointed veteran diplomat Arman Kairatovich Isagaliyev as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, under a presidential decree signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
An official statement issued by the presidency said: “By order of the Head of State, Arman Kairatovich Isagaliyev has been appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.”
Isagaliyev is regarded as one of Kazakhstan’s most accomplished diplomats. Born on 13 September 1972, he graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in 1994. He later pursued further studies at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco before completing his diplomatic training at the Diplomatic Academy of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996.
He began his professional career in 1994 as a lecturer at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University before joining the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences as a research fellow, where he worked from 1995 to 1999.
In 2000, Isagaliyev entered the diplomatic service, serving as First Secretary at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Egypt until 2004. He subsequently worked in the private commercial sector between 2004 and 2006.
He resumed his diplomatic career as Counsellor at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Saudi Arabia from 2008 to 2011, before being appointed Head of the Foreign Policy Centre within the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a position he held from 2011 to 2014.
Between 2014 and 2017, he served as Consul General of Kazakhstan in Dubai and the Northern Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. He was then appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt, serving from 2017 to 2020.
From 2019 to 2020, he also served as Non-Resident Ambassador to Algeria and Tunisia. In September 2020, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Qatar, a position he held until his appointment as Deputy Foreign Minister.
The appointment reflects Kazakhstan’s efforts to strengthen its diplomatic corps by drawing on the extensive experience Isagaliyev has gained during his service in several key Arab capitals and across the wider Middle East.
His distinguished career has established him as one of Kazakhstan’s most experienced diplomats in the Arab world, a background expected to contribute significantly to the formulation and implementation of the country’s foreign policy, particularly in advancing relations with the Middle East and North Africa.
Observers view his appointment as a sign of Kazakhstan’s continued commitment to leveraging seasoned diplomatic expertise as it expands political, economic and investment cooperation with the Gulf states and North Africa.
During his tenure as ambassador to Egypt and later Qatar, Isagaliyev played an active role in strengthening bilateral political, economic and cultural ties, while promoting cooperation in investment, trade, energy and education. He also worked to deepen engagement between Kazakh and Arab business communities.
The appointment comes as part of a broader diplomatic reshuffle led by President Tokayev to enhance the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy, in line with the country’s strategic priorities of attracting foreign investment, expanding international economic partnerships and reinforcing Kazakhstan’s role on the global stage.
