Tokayev appoints new head of Kazakhstan's presidential communications department

Photo: Aqorda

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20. Yevgeniy Kochetov has been appointed head of the Communications Department of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan, according to an order issued by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Under another order, Askar Umarov has been relieved of his post as director of the Central Communications Service under the President of Kazakhstan.

Kanat Kulshmanov has been appointed director of the Central Communications Service under the President of Kazakhstan and relieved of his previous position, according to the orders.

According to Kazakhstan's Paragraph information system, Kochetov has served as vice minister of culture and information since November 2023. He previously served as vice minister of information and social development from February to August 2023.

His previous positions also include director of the Central Communications Service at the Ministry of Information and Communications from October 2016 to May 2017, chairman of the board of Kazcontent from May 2017 to September 2018, and director general of the Media Damytu Qory corporate foundation from 2020 to April 2022.

Kochetov also worked as a journalist and economic columnist for several publications, including Liter, Kapital, Vlast and Informburo, and held management positions in the private sector.

Meanwhile, Kulshmanov was born on September 5, 1987, in Kazakhstan's Kostanay Region. He began his career in 2007 as a correspondent in the political and legal information sector of the Kazinform national news agency. From 2012 to 2016, he worked as a journalist for Kazcontent.

Kulshmanov subsequently held positions in media monitoring and analysis at the Ministry of National Economy, served as press secretary to the akim of Aktobe Region from 2017 to 2019, and worked as press secretary and director of the public relations department at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population from 2019 to 2020.

From 2020 to 2021, he served as deputy head of the office of the akim of Zhambyl Region, followed by a position as head of the press service of KazMunayGas from 2021 to 2022.

From 2022 to 2024, Kulshmanov was press secretary to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. In 2024-2025, he served as deputy head of the Communications Department of the Presidential Administration.

On March 11, 2025, Kulshmanov was appointed head of the Communications Department of the Presidential Administration.