President Nazarbayev comments on new Defense Minister

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has met the heads of the country’s Defense Ministry, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing the President’s website.

When meeting the ministry officials, Head of State announced appointment of Serik Akhmetov for the position of Defense Minister, emphasizing his great managerial experience.

“I believe he is the most appropriate candidate to fill in the position. We have deliberately chosen a civilian for the position. We should further developing defense industry enterprises, equipping the army with advanced weapons and ensure public money is effectively used”, Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

He stressed the Armed Forces should be ready to accomplish battle tasks and continuously enhance their professionalism.

Serik Akhmetov has become the new Defense Minister, replacing Adilbek Dzhaksybekov. The latter has been appointed to be the new Secretary of State.