Imangali Nurgaliuly Tasmagambetov (, ; born 9 December 1956) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat, who is the current Secretary-General of the

Collective Security Treaty Organization The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO, ) is an Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia consisting of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. Th ...

since January 2023. He was the Kazakh Ambassador to Russia from 2017 to 2019. He was

Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan The Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan () is a member in the Government of Kazakhstan. The post is usually led by multiple people who carry out their activities in accordance with the policies established by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and ...

from 2016 to 2017 and Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan from 2014 to 2016. He was the

akim An ''akim'' (, , әкімдер / ''äkimder''; ; , ) is the head of a local government in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. ''Akim'' is derived from the Arabic word '' hakim'', which means "ruler" or "governor". Definitions Kazakhstan In Kazakhs ...

Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

from 2008 to 2014 and from 2004 to 2008, as akim of

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

. Before that, from 2002 to 2003, he was the

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan The prime minister of Kazakhstan is the head of government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the holder of its fourth highest office, after the president of Kazakhstan, the chairman of Senate, and the chairman of Majilis. The prime minister hea ...

.New Kazakh Government Formed, Sets Out Priorities.
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Tasmagambetov stated that he resigned as PM after finding out about the falsification of a positive

vote of confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...

in his administration that was taken on 19 May 2003. His resignation resulted in the dismissal of all members of his cabinet, as required by the

Constitution of Kazakhstan The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the highest law of Kazakhstan, as stated in Article 4. The Constitution was approved by a constitutional referendum on 30 August 1995. President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...

replaced Tasmagambetov with

Pavlodar Region Pavlodar Region (; ) is a region of Kazakhstan. The population of the region was and The latest official estimate (as at the start of 2022) was 756,511. Its capital is the city of Pavlodar, which had a population of 360,014 at the start of 201 ...

Akim Daniyal Akhmetov on 13 June 2003. Akhmetov pledged to maintain many of Tasmagambetov's policies. Tasmagambetov was appointed as head of KazakhGolf Federation on 18 May 2022.

Early life and career

Tasmagambetov was born in the village of Novobogat in

Atyrau Region Atyrau Region (; ) formerly known as Guryev Region () until 1991, is one of the regions of Kazakhstan, in the western part of the country around the northeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Atyrau, with a population of 355,117; t ...

to Nurgali Tasmagambetov (1926–1997) and Dilda Qoqanova (1930–2019). In 1979, he graduated from the natural-geographical faculty of the West Kazakhstan State University, specializing in "teacher of geography and biology." In 1990, Tasmagambetov earned Ph.D in philosophy in his thesis "World outlook aspects of ecological problems". In 1997, he earned doctorate in political science in his dissertation “Social Policy in Transit Political Systems”. Tasmagambetov began his career in 1973 as a boxing and wrestling trainer at a Children's and Youth Sports School in the village of Makhambet. After graduating, he worked as a teacher of geography and biology at the Makhambet Secondary School.

Early political career

In 1989, Tasmagambetov was elected as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol in

Kazakh SSR The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Located in northern Centr ...

. In 1991, he became a chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Youth Affairs. From 1993 to 1995, Tasmagambetov worked as an assistant to the

President of Kazakhstan The president of Kazakhstan, officially the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the executive head of state of the Kazakhstan and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As the highest-ranking official ...

. On 13 March 1995, he became the

and from 17 March 1997, he served as the Minister of Education and Culture. That same year, Tasmagambetov was appointed as the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan and the head of the Organizational and Control Department of the Presidential Administration. In 1998, he became the First Assistant to the President. On 18 February 1999, Tasmagambetov was appointed as the akim of

and from 17 December 2000, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister in the 4th government.

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (2002–2003)

On 28 January 2002, Tasmagambetov was nominated as the

by President

, who was unanimously approved by the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. While serving as the PM, he faced controversy over the issue of privatization of land that was supposedly favoring the wealthy. Tasmagambetov announced his resignation on 11 June 2003, stating that the parliamentary

vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

that took place on 19 May 2003 was falsified. As a result, he was appointed as the State Secretary of Kazakhstan on 13 June 2003.

Post-Premiership

He served that position until he was dismissed on 9 March 2004. The following day on 10 March, Tasmagambetov was appointed as the head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan and was removed from the post on 7 December 2004.

Äkim of Almaty (2004–2008)

On 8 December 2004, Tasmagambetov became the äkim of

. Under his tenure, a first recycling waste plant was opened in the country. 2.5 million square meters of housing were built (18,202 apartments). Five schools and outbuildings were opened, two kindergartens were commissioned, and three health facilities were built. Restoration work was carried out on 33 monuments of history and culture.

Äkim of Astana (2008–2014)

From 4 April 2008, he served as the akim of

. While holding that post, Tasmagambetov was chosen to be the chairman of the Astana City Branch of

Nur Otan Amanat (; ; officially stylized in all caps), previously known as Nur Otan (; ), is a Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Kazakhstan, political party of Kazakhstan and the largest political association in the country, with around 8 ...

on 19 May 2008. Astana became the first place in the provision of housing to the population. The number of problem sites was reduced from 243 to two. In 2012–2013, two hospitals and two polyclinics were commissioned. The opera and ballet theater

Astana Opera Astana Opera () is an opera house in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the basis of an executive order of Nursultan Nazarbayev. History of design and construction The design has been partially made by Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the construction began on 6 ...

and the Palace of Schoolchildren were built, while the construction of the cathedral mosque

Hazrat Sultan Mosque The Hazrat Sultan Mosque (; ) is a Friday mosque in Astana, Kazakhstan. Construction After the suggestion from president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev mosque named "Hazrat Sultan", which means "Holy Sultan". As well known, "Hazret Sultan ...

began. A locomotive plant, a plant for the production of reinforced concrete products, pipes made of polymer materials, and helicopter plant were commissioned and put into operation.

Defense and Deputy Minister (2014–2017)

SCO Defense Ministers during a festival of Military Massed Bands

From 22 October 2014 to 12 September 2016, Tasmagambetov served as a

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

under Massimov. The following day on 13 September, he was appointed as a Deputy Prime Minister again in Sagintayev's cabinet.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia (2017–2019)

On 3 February 2017, Tasmagambetov became an Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia to where he presented his credentials to Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

on 16 March 2017. His sudden appointment to the position led to suspicions that Nazarbayev felt politically threatened by his ally, as the move rendered Tasmagambetov constitutionally prohibited from running for President. He served in the role until 18 December 2019, when by the decree of President

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakhstani politician and diplomat who has served as the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 ...

, Tasmagambetov was removed from his post, dismissed from public service and sent to a retirement pension.

Secretary General of CSTO (2023–present)

On 1 January 2023, Tasmagambetov assumed office as Secretary General of the CSTO, following his unanimous appointment by the CSTO Collective Security Council on 23 November 2022, replacing Belarusian

Stanislav Zas Lieutenant General Stanislav Vasilievich Zas (, ; born 1964) is a Belarusian general and politician who is a former Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and was formerly the State Secretary of the Security Council of ...

and making him the first Kazakhstani person to hold the title. During his tenure, Tasmagambetov has prioritized strengthening the CSTO’s military potential and enhancing the organization’s crisis response capabilities. In 2023, his leadership focused on improving decision-making procedures for the deployment of collective security forces and updating the legal frameworks governing military cooperation. In 2024, coinciding with Kazakhstan's chairmanship of the CSTO, Tasmagambetov outlined a set of key objectives: implementing decisions adopted at the November 2023 CSTO summit, bolstering the organization's rapid response mechanisms—particularly in light of the experience from the January 2022 unrest in Kazakhstan—and deepening partnerships with international organizations such as the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, the CIS, and the

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian politics, political, economy, economic, international security and Defence (military), defence organization of ten member states. It was established in 2001 by the China, People's Republic ...

Awards

Kazakhstan

* Order of Parasat * Order of Nazarbayev * Medal "10 years of Astana" * Order of the Leopard * Medal "20 years of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"

Foreign

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

(Russia) *

Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow The Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow () is an award of the Russian Orthodox Church, established in 1988. There are three classes. History The Order was created by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Pimen I, and the Holy Synod of 28 ...

(Russia) * Order of Glory and Honor (Russia)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasmagambetov, Imangali 1956 births Living people Prime ministers of Kazakhstan Mayors of Astana Mayors of Almaty Nur Otan politicians Ministers of defence of Kazakhstan People from Atyrau Region Deputy prime ministers of Kazakhstan Ambassadors of Kazakhstan to Russia