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.[1] 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.[2][3][4][5] In 2011 was appointed as Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva.[6]
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.[3]
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Tokayev told the 61st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 22 September, 2006 that the global summit in 2005 "confirmed the United Nations' role as an irreplaceable forum producing vitally important decisions on pressing international issues, which can be seen from the current reform, - the most radical in the organization's history. On the one hand, essential decisions have been made on ways to create new elected agencies in the UN system, including the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council, whose activities result from a concerted effort by all delegations, but on the other, no progress is seen in the reform of the General Assembly and the Security Council, which is seriously slowing the organization's institutional reform. The Security Council reform has been dragging on far too long, while the current status quo brings no benefits to the UN member-states. A final solution can only be found in a constructive dialogue. As before, the question of increasing the role and status of the General Assembly remains open. Kazakhstan wants the UN reform to enhance the role of all states in tackling the main international problems."[2]
Tokayev met with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Barry Lowenkron, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for human rights, on 25 September, 2006 in Rice's suite in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. According to Anne Gearan, a diplomatic writer for the Associated Press, the U.S. want to improve its relations with Kazakhstan despite, according to some analysts, a worsening state of political oppression. Kazakh oil output is expected to significantly increase, along with other Central Asian countries, but others are "more authoritarian, too unstable, too poor, or a combination of all three."[7]
Prior to her meeting with Tokayev, when Rice was asked whether human rights or energy "would top the agenda" for the meeting with Tokayev, she refused to answer. The United States State Department released a statement saying the diplomats discussed the Government of Kazakhstan's cooperation in Afghanistan and Iraq and expressed hope for "a multidimensional relationship with Kazakhstan, which includes U.S. encouragement for continuing reforms."[7]
In July, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed legislation establishing harsher regulations for media organizations, which the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe called "a step backward" for media freedom. Freedom House, a pro-democracy organization, said the law "will greatly threaten freedom of expression and freedom of the press."[7]
Tokayev visited Berlin, Germany from 3 -4 October, 2006 and addressed the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on 3 October in an attempt to gain support among members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for Kazakhstan's bid to head the organization in 2009. In his address he discussed the "fierce" competition between the European Union, China, and India to secure energy sources, saying that Kazakhstan is "one of the very few countries capable of boosting its oil production and thus becoming an important alternative energy supplier to global and European markets." He expressed interest in the Burgas-Alexandroupoli and Odessa-Brody-Gdansk pipeline projects, asking the EU for $80 billion in investment from 2006-2021. Tokayev criticized Lithuania for opposing a Russian offer for its Mažeikių oil refinery. He also reaffirmed Kazakhstan's desire to join the European Neighbourhood Policy.[8]
Tokayev rejected the proposed construction of the Trans-Caspian oil pipeline to Azerbaijan, which EU officials desire, because of the likelihood of opposition from other nations bordering the Caspian Sea.[8]
Gernot Erler, an official in the German Foreign Ministry, announced the German Government's support for Kazakhstan heading the OSCE in 2009. Portuguese Socialist MEP Ana Gomes said to Tokayev, "Minister, you're bidding for the presidency of the OSCE. Yet, the OSCE gave a report on your last elections, on the observation of the elections, which said they failed to meet international standards for genuine elections in many important points. And we hear about political dissent being crushed, we hear even about religious groups being crushed." Tokayev replied that political opposition forces in Kazakhstan "cannot challenge the government" because of their own weaknesses, Kazakhstanis need to be "educated" about democracy because the concept is foreign, and the government considers religious tolerance a priority. He criticized the OSCE's election report for "technical irregularities" and biased targeting while calling for more of a "mutual understanding." He further stated that his government believes it would "contribute a lot as a representative, as a country which is located in Central Asia. The geographical dimension of the OSCE has changed [since Kazakhstan joined], this is a unique Eurasian, as well as Pan-American organization. So, the leadership, the presidency of this organization also must reflect this unique character, [this] unique dimension of the organization."[8]
He cited efforts to reform Kazakhstan's election process that included a "special program" to modernize the system and establishing "party dominance" in the Parliament so that "parties [that] win the parliamentary elections, obtain [a] majority in the parliament" and "will be able to establish their own governments." He called creating a multi-party system in Kazakhstan a "huge step forward in the process of democratization."[8]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kanat Saudabayev |
Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan 1994–1999 |
Succeeded by Yerlan Idrisov |
| Preceded by Yerlan Idrisov |
Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan 2002–2007 |
Succeeded by Marat Tazhin |
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