Nurtai Abykayev ( kk, Нұртай Әбіқайұлы Әбіқаев, translit=Nūrtai Äbıqaiūly Äbıqaev; born 15 May 1947) is a Kazakh politician who was the chairman of the

National Security Committee of Kazakhstan The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NSC) is an intelligence agency in Kazakhstan. It was founded on 13 July 1992. It primarily manages the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ...

from August 2010 to December 2015 and from September 1998 to August 1999. Previously he was Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia and before this chair of the

Senate of Kazakhstan The Senate of Kazakhstan ( kk, Qazaqstan Parlamentınıñ Senaty, ''Қазақстан Парламентінің Сенаты'') is the upper house of two chambers in Kazakhstan's legislature, known as the Parliament (''Parlamenti''). The Se ...

from 2004 to 2007. He is a long-time friend and assistant to President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

, and is viewed as the leader of one of the political "clans" that make up Kazakhstan's elite.Kazakhstan: Abikaev Is Suddenly The Number-Two Man
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Time Magazine

Biography

Early life and career

Abykayev was born in the village of Jambyl in Almaty Region. He studied at the Ural Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1970. This was followed by two years in the

Soviet Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

, after which Abykayev worked as an engineer in a heavy-machinery factory in Almaty (then Alma-Ata) until 1976.

Political career

Throughout the 1980s, Abykayev worked his way up the hierarchy of the

Communist Party of Kazakhstan The Communist Party of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Коммунистік партиясы, ''Qazaqstan Kommunistık Partiasy'', QKP; russian: Коммунистическая партия Казахстана) is a banned political pa ...

, eventually becoming Nazarbayev's aide. After independence he served throughout the presidential administration until he was named Ambassador to the United Kingdom on 9 November 1995. He returned to Kazakhstan the next year, and later became the head of the National Security Committee.Биография - Посол Республики Казахстан в Российской Федерации Абыкаев Нуртай Абыкаевич
Embassy of Kazakhstan in Russia On 9 August 1999, Abykayev was dismissed from his post as chairman of the National Security Committee for his role in a scandal over the sale of old

MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...

fighter planes to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Defense. Several members of his staff were arrested for their direct involvement in formulating the trade. Abykayev's absence from government did not last long. By April 2000, he had been appointed deputy foreign minister. He was then named head of the

Presidential Administration The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to the jurisdiction under which it operates. In general terms, administration can be described as a decision making body. United States In American usage, the ter ...

on 29 January 2002. Abykayev became chair of the Senate on 10 March 2004 where he was re-elected on 1 December 2005. In a large political shake-up in January 2007, Abykayev was replaced by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, later being appointed as the Kazakhstan Ambassador to Russia. On 23 August 2010, he was appointed again as the head of the National Security Committee, replacing Adil Shayakhmetov. Shayakhmetov was removed from his post in the aftermath of the arrest of Prosecutor General's Office official Murat Musabekov, who was fingered as allegedly plotting a coup in an anonymous letter allegedly circulated by NSC officers. Abykayev also serves as the Secretariat head of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, a meeting of world religious leaders organized by President Nazarbayev in

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

. There has been speculation that Abykayev was involved in the murder of

Altynbek Sarsenbayuly Altynbek Sarsenbayuly ( kk, Алтынбек Сәрсенбайұлы, ''Altynbek Särsenbaiūly''; 12 September 1962 – 11 February 2006) was a Kazakh politician who served in the Government of Kazakhstan before becoming a political opposit ...

, however several other high-profile politicians, including Nazarbayev, have also been accused of the murder at some point.Kazakhstan: Two Years Later, Opposition Leader's Murder Still Casts Long Shadow
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Personal life

Abykayev is married. He has five children (Marat, Sergey, Aliya, Nuray and Amina) and three grandchildren.

References

External links