Kazakhstan president replaces ministers of defence and transport

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ASTANA (Reuters) -Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sunday replaced two ministers in his government, including the transport minister, who he had previously criticized for delays in infrastructure modernisation.

He fired Defence Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov and replaced him with Zhaksylykov’s deputy and Air Defence Forces chief Dauren Kosanov, according to decrees published on the president’s site.

Tokayev met Kosanov on Sunday and gave him several instructions, including strengthening the army’s combat readiness, expanding the capabilities of the Special Operations Forces, and modernising the military’s infrastructure.

Zhaksylykov, previously deputy interior minister and head of the national guard, was appointed defence minister after civil unrest in January 2022 triggered by the removal of a price cap on fuel. Authorities were forced to call in troops from a Russian-led alliance of former Soviet states to quell what became a broad protest against corruption and economic hardship.

Tokayev also sacked transport minister Marat Karabayev who he had reprimanded in May for problems with transport and logistics.

It is not clear who will replace Karabayev. The president did not reveal the reasons for the reshuffle.

(Reporting by Tamara Vaal; writing by Anton Kolodyazhnyy,Editing by Alexandra Hudson)