Kazakh President appoints his brother-in-law as Ambassador to Bulgaria

AKIPRESS.COM - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed his brother-in-law Temirtai Izbastin as Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Bulgaria, RFE/RL reported with reference to presidential press service.
The 61-year-old Izbastin is a husband of Tokayev's sister Karlyga Izbastina. He has been working at Kazakhstan's diplomatic missions in other countries since 1994.
Media reports say Tokayev's son, Timur Tokayev, and Izbastin's son, Mukhamed, are the founders of the Abi Petroleum Capital oil company, a firm that operates in Kazakhstan's western region of Atyrau.
Tokayev, 66, became Kazakhstan's President after the country's long-time leader, President Nursultan Nazarbayev, announced his surprise resignation in March.
Nazarbayev, 79, spent nearly three decades in power and is still considered to be Kazakhstan's top decision-maker.
Tokayev was inaugurated as President in June after a weakly contested election marred by what international observers called "widespread voting irregularities."