On May 30, 2022, political expert Daniyar Ashimbayev posted on his Telegram page a phone interview with the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev that he supposedly conducted.

Why we say “supposedly”?

The thing is that the text of the interview consists of 1408 words and, in order to pronounce them, a person would need no less than ten minutes, according to our estimates. But, considering the age of the First President and his habit of laying down the law rather than speaking, he would probably need even more time than that. Meanwhile, the Elbasy’s latest speeches last for no more than several minutes; due to the state of his health, he probably can no longer speak for a relatively long period of time without a break. 

Secondly, the text of the interview contains the figures that Nursultan Nazarbayev was unlikely to pronounce the way they were written. Here is a quote.

 “According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kazakhstan’s GDP had grown by 32 times from $5.15 bln in 1993 to $164.79 bln in 2020. The per capita GDP had grown by 28 times from $304.85 in 1993 to $8.7 thousand in 2020”.

Taking into consideration all of the above, the fact of Nazarbayev’s interview to Daniyar Ashimbayev taking place raises doubts. Perhaps they did talk on the phone but the final text of the interview was later sent from the Library. One way or another, the press-service has worked on it. 

We at KZ.expert believe that the following statements made by Nazarbayev are particularly deserving of the public’s attention.   

First, those on being ready to take part in the nationwide referendum and support the “Tokayev” amendments to the “Nazarbayev” Constitution.

Second, those alleging that he was enjoying the citizens’ support at the moment of his retirement (quoting): “I left at the peak of the people’s support of my political course. This is clear from the results of the latest presidential elections of 2015 when I received 97.7% of the votes”.

Third, those stipulating that, after the events of January 2022, he voluntarily (three times “haw-haw” – edit) handed over to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev the authorities he secured for himself in 2019. 

Fourth, those on being ready to accept the judicial sentences to the relatives he has de-facto sacrificed to please the public. 

Fifth, those alleging that these relatives had deceived him and he was not aware of their crimes and misdeeds.

Sixth, those on his very big merits to the country and the Kazakh citizens. 

Seventh, those stipulating that, even if the violations on the part of Nazarbayev University and Nazarbayev Foundation do exist, they are the doings of the people whom the Elbasy trusted but who had deceived him and let him down (Karim Masimov is the first name on the list).

Eighth, those alleging that the events of January 2022 are but organized disturbances, in other words, the result of a conspiracy. 

Ninth, those stipulating that, since the start of the January events, the Elbasy has been supporting Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and, consequently, has entrusted him with the responsibilities of the head of the RK Security Council.

As you can see, Nursultan Nazarbayev has said nothing new. However, the very fact that he himself (or his entourage) has chosen this kind of form of public appearance speaks volumes.

For instance, it shows that he is no longer capable of meeting with even the most trusted reporters – either due to the health issues or the fear of being asked some inconvenient questions by accident.

We also suspect that the interview was given to no other than Daniyar Ashimbayev for the simple reason that it was not sanctioned by Akorda. As a result, the Library had to use the person with a rich biography, someone who began his career working for Rakhat Aliyev (and against Nursultan Nazarbayev at that) and, when Dariga Nazarbayeva’s first husband was exiled from the country, became directly linked to the NSC RK.

You will recall that it was Daniyar Ashimbayev who, at the behest of the secret service, released a number of materials against the independent media. Back in the day, using Ashimbayev’s correspondence with his handler from the NSC RK, “The Respublika” told about this in a series of publications titled “Who Is behind the Kaznet”.

On the other hand, for the purpose of objectivity, let us point out that, currently, Daniyar Ashimbayev is actively supporting Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and promoting the idea that the January outburst of the protest sentiment in the country was the result of a conspiracy orchestrated by Karim Masimov.