Yerzhan Ashikbayev

Yerzhan Ashikbayev joined Kazakhstan's foreign ministry in 1998 after graduating from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. His early career included a posting in Belgium and responsibility for international information. He studied public administration at Harvard, worked in the prime minister's office, and headed the presidential administration's Foreign Policy Center before serving as deputy foreign minister from 2013 to 2021. ¹

As ambassador in Washington, Ashikbayev worked on the implementation of agreements between the United States and the five Central Asian states. In December 2024, he met Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma to discuss follow-up to the September 2023 C5+1 summit. He emphasized trade and American investment in Kazakhstan as practical priorities. After his American posting, he returned to senior ministry leadership as first deputy foreign minister. ^{1, 2}