Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed Ainur Danenova as ambassador to Morocco and Olzhas Isabekov as ambassador to Cuba. The corresponding decrees were published on 31 October. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

At the same time, the head of state relieved Andrian Yelemesov of his post as Kazakhstan's ambassador to Cuba. The reasons for the personnel decision were not specified in the report.

Ainur Danenova

Ainur Danenova was born on 7 December 1980 in Kostanay. She was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in a specialty related to international law. She speaks French, English and Spanish.

Danenova began her professional career in international organizations. From 2003 to 2011, she worked in structures of the International Organization for Migration, the UN World Tourism Organization, the UN Development Programme and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

In 2014–2019, she held diplomatic positions at Kazakhstan's Permanent Mission to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva. She subsequently worked as an adviser to the foreign minister and headed the department for humanitarian cooperation and human rights at the Foreign Ministry.

From 2020 to 2025, Danenova served as counsellor-envoy at Kazakhstan's embassy in France. Before her appointment to Morocco, she worked as an adviser to the foreign minister.

Olzhas Isabekov

Olzhas Isabekov was born on 26 June 1979. In 2000, he graduated from Shakarim Semipalatinsk State University, and in 2004 from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He speaks English and Spanish.

Isabekov has worked in the diplomatic field since 2000. He began his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, then served at the country's embassies in Spain and the United States.

In 2012–2013, he held the position of director for external and government relations at ConocoPhillips North Caspian Ltd. After that, he returned to public service and until 2019 headed the foreign economic policy department of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.

In 2019, Isabekov served as ambassador-at-large, then until 2021 headed the department for foreign economic cooperation and protocol of the Prime Minister's Office.

The new ambassador already has experience of diplomatic work in Cuba. In 2021–2022, he served as counsellor-envoy at the Kazakh embassy in Havana, and in 2022–2023 he worked in Mexico, where he served as charge d'affaires of Kazakhstan.

In 2024–2025, Isabekov was deputy director of the department for external relations and communications of the Kazenergy association. Before his new appointment, he served as adviser to the foreign minister of Kazakhstan.