Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Kazakhstan)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (kaz. Қазақстан Республикасының Сыртқы істер министрі, rus. Министр иностранных дел Республики Казахстан) is an official in the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, responsible for ensuring the implementation of foreign policy.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the first head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who leads country’s single system of diplomatic service, consisting of a central apparatus and foreign institutions.

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan independently appoints and dismisses the head of the foreign office of the Republic of Kazakhstan without consulting the Parliament.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan operates relying on the Regulation on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan ^[1] approved by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1118, dated October 28, 2004. The Minister is authorized to represent the Republic of Kazakhstan in relations with foreign states and international organizations within its competence, represents the Ministry in state bodies and other organizations. He also determines the duties and powers of deputies, appoints to positions and dismisses, promotes and imposes disciplinary penalties on the staff of the diplomatic service, determines the need for personnel of diplomatic service bodies, exercises other powers in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

History

Sources on the Kazakh rulers’ diplomatic relations history indicate that in the period of Kazakh Khanate the rulers themselves in practice implemented the foreign policy. The Khans initiated the development of diplomatic relations. Their foreign policy's main content was the expansion of territories, the desire to master the trade routes, the knots of their crossing, the centres of trade and play a major role in international exchange, etc.^[2]

The headquarters of the Kazakh khans had offices, issuing documents of a diplomatic and socio-economic nature. Kazakh khans appointed their envoys – «ilchi», who were instructed to transmit messages and orders in written or oral form to neighboring rulers and governors.^[3][4]

The position of the head of foreign office on Kazakhstan territory was first documented during the period of existence of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which in the initial period after the October Revolution independently carried out foreign policy activities in a number of cases.^[5]

This position was called the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Turkestan ASSR, whose activities were regulated by the Regulations on the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the Turkestan Republic in the Russian Federation. The functional duties of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Turkestan ASSR included political relations with foreign governments, patronage in foreign lands to trade and the interests of the republic, an application for the lawful protection of the citizens of the republic abroad.^[6]

The position of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the modern sense appeared in February 1944 after the adoption of the USSR Law «On Submission of Powers to the Union Republics in the Field of Foreign Relations and on the Transformation of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs from the All-Union into Union-Republic People’s Commissariat».^[7] Then, all the Union republics gained the right to enter into direct relations with foreign states; however, the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs performed all the main foreign policy functions.

In 1944-1974, the Kazakh SSR Ministers Council Deputy Chairmen performed duties of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in combination.

This is a list of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.

References