Ex-Prime-Minister Serik Akhmetov appointed Defence Minister

Serik Akhmetov. Tengrinews.kz file photo

Serik Akhmetov, Kazakhstan's Prime-Minister-until-yesterday-afternoon, has been appointment Minister of Defence today, Tengrinews reports citing the official presidential website.

Akhmetov replaced Adilbek Dzhaksybekov in the position of the Defence Minister. And the ex-Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov was appointed Secretary of State.

Serik Akhmetov has been Kazakhstan's Prime Minister since September 2012. Before that he served as First Deputy Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan, Minister of Transport and Communication and Governor of Karaganda Oblast.

The wave of reshuffling in the government was triggered by yesterday's resigning of Kazakhstan Prime-Minister Serik Akhmetov and termination of powers of the Cabinet. Akhmetov was replace by new Prime-Minister Karim Massimov the same day.