Nazarbayev resurfaces

Kazkhstan's former president Nursultan Nazarbayev has made his first public appearence since the wave of unrest that swept the country in the first week of the new year, describing rumours of an power struggle in the country as "completely unfounded". Meanwhile, key figures with links to Nazarbayev have been removed from posts in the energy sector and eslewhere.

In an 18 January video address Nazarbayev said that his hand-picked successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has "full power" and there is "no conflict or confrontation in the elite". He also denied rumours that he had fled the country, describing himself as a "pensioner on a well-earned rest" in Kazkah capital Nur-Sultan.

Tokayev claimed that this month's upheaval was part of a coup attempt, prompting speculation of conflict between himself and allies of his predecessor. During the crisis Tokayev replaced Nazarbayev, who had retained considerable influence behind the scenes, as head of the the country's security council. And the head of Kazakhstan's intelligence agency, former prime minister Karim Massimov, was arrested on suspicion of treason. There has still been no coherent account from the Kazakh authorities of what exactly happened during the unrest.

This week the general-director of pipeline company operator Kaztransoil (KTO), Dimash Dosanov, the husband of Nazarbayev's youngest daughter Aliya, was dismissed. A replacement head of KTO has not yet been announced. Before taking charge of KTO in August 2016, Dosanov held other senior roles including heading the Kazakhstan-China Pipeline joint venture. In 2010-14 he served as deputy general manager at NCOC, the operating consortium of the Kashagan oil field.

The chairman of gas pipeline operator QazaqGaz, previously known as Kaztransgaz, Kairat Sharibayev has also been removed. He is widely believed to be the husband of Nazarbayev's oldest daughter Dariga, although this has never been officially confirmed.

Sharibayev had been in charge of QazaqGaz since November 2020. He previously held senior positions related to gas transportation and marketing at state-controlled Kazmuniagaz (KMG), parent company to both KTO and QazaqGaz, and other companies. In March 2021 control of QazaqGaz was transferred to sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna, which controls 90.4pc of KMG shares, although formally the pipeline operator remains a subsidiary of KMG.

Meanwhile Timur Kulibayev, the husband of Nazarbayev's middle daughter Dinara, has stepped down as chairman of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken, which represents the interests of Kazakh businesses in negotiations with the country's government. Kulibayev remains chairman of the Kazenergy oil and gas industry associations. And on 17 January the first deputy chairman of Kazakhstan's security service Samat Abish, a nephew of Nazarbayev, was removed from his post.