Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu appeared in public and commented for the first time on rumors of his detention.
«To be honest, this is a lie, absurd. People have their moods in spring and autumn... I don’t even have anything to comment on. You see for yourself, I was at work, I had meetings. You know that I talked on the phone with my colleagues from other countries, there were working meetings with investors — everything is as usual,» he said.
The Kazakh Foreign Minister added: «We live in a rule-of-law state. Kazakhstan is a secular country. There are relevant authorities; let them take action. I will not take it personally.»
Earlier, the news agency Orda.kz reported that Murat Nurtleu, businessman Hadzhi Hadzhiev, and senior officials of the National Security Committee had been detained. Although this information was later officially denied, the outlet continued to insist on the detention of the Foreign Minister.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has regularly issued press releases to the media regarding Murat Nurtleu’s official meetings.
Today, the official attended parliament, where President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is set to deliver a national address.
