Second family of Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbaev wrote a book of memoirs “My Life”. One of these days it will go on sale in bookstores, but for now the first copies have been received by politicians, experts and journalists. The editors of Orda.kz were not included in the list of selected ones, but found out that the memoirs were published by the Kazakh publishing house “Foliant” and touch upon both the political side of the life of the first president and the personal one.
Nursultan NazarbaevThere is no co-author, the memoirs were written personally by Nazarbayev, however, in the domestic tradition it is not customary to indicate them.
Separate chapters are devoted to the events of 2011 in Zhanaozen, the transit of power in 2019, Kandy Kantar. The current president is also mentioned Tokaev, and there are a couple of interesting, previously unheard details of their relationship, but otherwise, as the political scientist who received and already read the book told us, there are no new statements, confessions or simply information in the book. But for the first time there is a confession about a second family, Asel Isabaeva and two sons. We present a single excerpt kindly provided to us by the owner of the book.
Sarah and Nursultan Nazarbayev“One day I had a chance to go to Taldykorgan. During the head of state’s working trips to the regions, he was greeted with flowers at the plane’s steps. It is known that the most beautiful local girls are selected to participate in such a ceremony. A beautiful ritual that we have been accustomed to for a long time. From the very moment you arrive on this earth, it becomes pleasant to the eye and warm to the soul. But that incident made a special impression.
The girl who gave me flowers at the airport was stunningly beautiful. I remembered for a long time and then often remembered the fair-faced beauty with a flaming look and an elegant, chiseled figure.
Asel IsabaevaHow can one not remember Gabit Musrepov, who, in the words of the poet Kadyr Myrzaliev, “even at seventy years old did not grow old in heart, and at eighty years old did not diminish his feelings,” as well as other famous people who experienced similar stories? How can one not remember the great Goethe, who at the age of seventy fell in love with eighteen-year-old Ulrika? But didn’t this Ulrika reciprocate the poet’s feelings, and then throughout her life (it turns out that she lived for 96 years) did not cherish this feeling in the depths of her heart and, remaining faithful to him, loved and remembered only him?.. From Goethe’s last love to humanity wonderful gazelles remained. And there are plenty of such examples. Both in life and in art. Both for others and for us.
Some time has passed. The image of that beautiful girl who met me at the Taldykorgan airport appeared again and again in my memory.
One day, a reason suddenly appeared to find her. I was looking through the press when one newspaper photo seemed to burn me: the Miss Kazakhstan beauty contest was held in Astana, at which the same girl (it turns out her name is Asel) won the Grand Prix… Now it was not difficult to find her.
Our acquaintance grew into mutual sympathy, and sympathy into rapprochement. Gradually we started dating. Both in Asel’s appearance and thoughts I saw many qualities that I was looking for. And most importantly, I got rid of the mental loneliness that had lasted for years.
I won’t drag out the story. We got married according to Muslim custom. Asel gave me two children – two glorious sons. In 2005, Tauman was born, and in 2008, Baiken was born.
The joy of fatherhood, the happiness of kissing my baby, returned to me again at the age of sixty-five. My babies’ first steps, first words and babbling speech, carrying them in my arms, the magical world of their toys, going to first grade for the first time, the delight of the first letters they read and wrote, their noisy run towards me when I entered the house after work. … – all this seemed to ease the hardships of the period of construction of the capital. Remembering those days and years, I think about them with tenderness. By and large, the most important thing in life, the most genuine and lasting happiness, can only be given to a person by a child and only by the happiness of being a parent.
TO Sarahmother of my three daughters – Darigi, Dinars, Aliyah, who from a young age was my support and was there in the hours of the most difficult trials, I treat with gratitude and care all my life. In this difficult life, I also found consolation in the fact that at that turning point in my fate, she understood and forgave me.
Nursultan Nazarbayev with his daughters Aliya, Dariga and Dinara (from left to right)When, after the birth of Tauman, I came to Almaty, apologized to her and told everything as it was, this representative of the respected dynasty again showed nobility. “The baby is an angel. Let the child be happy,” Sarah said then. My daughters also understood me correctly. Such a case is a severe test for any woman, but the nature of Sara Alpysovna’s generosity seems to be known to me. I have already said that her grandfather was a famous bai in Saryarka named Konakai. It turns out he had no sons.
He was already in his seventh decade when his baibishe – his eldest wife – betrothed a young girl and married him to her. Fortunately, she gave birth to a son, who was given the name Alpys. Who knows: maybe Sarah remembered that long-standing custom of her ancestors, and therefore she accepted the accomplished fact with a wide soul?.. In any case, she did not rush to torment my already exhausted soul.
In general, I treat children the same, be it a boy or a girl. I dote on my three daughters. And I consider the grandchildren born from them (contrary to the Kazakh ethnocultural tradition) to be the same full-fledged grandchildren. The son is the heir and successor of the family name.
Therefore, today my genealogy is built like this: Karasai – Koshek – Aidar – Myrzatai – Kenbaba – Edil – Sapakbay – Nazarbay – Abish – Nursultan – Tauman, Baiken. And so on.
And this gives confidence and inspiration.
If your lineage is not interrupted, your hope is not lost.
Now my two sons have grown up. They make us happy and grow up to be good guys. By raising children with love and care, a person prolongs his life.
That’s it, friends. I have laid out the whole truth before you. What you say to this is up to you. That’s life.
There is one irrefutable truth. The truth is that you cannot order your heart.”
Previously, Ordaz.kz published excerpts from Nursultan Nazarbayev’s book “Without Right and Left.” Where the ex-president, in particular, talks about his first wedding night with his wife Sarah, which they spent in the same room with his friend’s grandmother. And it also says that they lived in perfect harmony.
In total, more than 50 books were published on the website of the first president, authored by Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The second President of Kazakhstan Tokayev did not skimp on gifts for the bride and became a witness at the wedding of the first President Nazarbayev
Talking about the influence of the first president’s women on politics and personnel issues, Nazarbayev’s son-in-law said:
“…The President believes that if he openly shows his extramarital affairs, this will affect his election affairs. After his last election, he relaxed and began to legalize the relationship. Of course, this is due to the pressure of his young wife, Asel Isabaeva, who has a very strong influence on him. And now many are trying – both from the establishment, and from ministers, from heads of departments – to find a common language with her and through her to influence Nazarbayev.”
In April 2014, the information and analytical portal “Respublika” published the material “About Nazarbayev’s third wife and sons” with scans of the passports of Asel Isabayeva and her two sons, whose last name was written as Nursultanuly. Later, this article was reprinted by information resources outside of Kazakhstan (media inside the country did not dare to provide this information).
A year later, a politician and businessman gave an interview on this topic to the Respublika portal (09/14/2015) Mukhtar Ablyazov.
“As for the last family with Asel (I’m not sure, she’s the last), I found out about it in 2005, when I returned from Russia (*aggressor country) to Kazakhstan. Again, information about Asel Isabaeva, who she is, where she came from, was widely known in government and business circles.
By the way, her underground name is Alexey. Every day, Nazarbayev is accompanied everywhere by several dozen people. Security, close associates, etc. Therefore, it would be impossible to hide new families.”
Asel Isabayeva is also mentioned in the correspondence of the current President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, when he was Deputy Secretary General of the UN (the correspondence was posted by hackers on the Kazaword platform). An article with scans of this correspondence was published on the Respublika portal in 2014 (see more details here).
“For example, on November 14, 2013, the user “Kassy-Jomart Tokayev” sent a note marked “Dinner” from the mailbox “kassym02@gmail.com” to a certain “Timur” at the address “tkt@lt.ru”. Nothing top-secret, just Kassym-Zhomart Kemelevich talked about his visit to Nursultan Nazarbayev, whom he designated as Zero First and F.
Apparently, this abbreviation refers to the Elbasy’s third wife, Asel Isabaeva.
First, Tokayev informed his counterpart that yesterday, that is, November 13, 2013, he had lunch with Zero First and F. at the invitation of the latter. The food, he said, was very tasty and the atmosphere was good.
After this, he spoke with F., who tried to find out from him whether there was a preliminary agreement and what the conditions were for his return. Then he, meaning Zero One, warned of upcoming changes that would be accompanied by the actions they had already talked about.”
This material also states that Kassym-Zhomart Kemelevich was one of four witnesses who, with their presence, confirmed the wedding ceremony of Nazarbayev and Isabayeva according to the Muslim rite.
From another letter from Tokayev to the same addressee, it became known that he had given an expensive gift to the couple.
“…I forgot to say that I bought gifts for Her and for him for 140 thousand. For Her, the Count – earrings and a pendant. Liked”.
Thus, the very fact of the existence of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s third wife was confirmed. But there was still little information about her.
Around the same time, fragments of a video interview with 19-year-old Asel Isabayeva, winner of the Miss Kazakhstan beauty contest in 1999 and a student at the Abylai Khan University of Foreign Languages in Almaty, appeared on social networks. This is how the people learned that this was the mysterious third wife of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who in close circles was christened by the male name “Alexei”. After winning the national beauty contest, Asel Isabaeva also took part in the Miss World international competition in London. But after that she disappeared from the media.
Today, 40-year-old Kurmanbaeva (Isabaeva) is a businesswoman and wealthy woman, the artistic director of two state dance institutions engaged in ballet and national dances.
She changed her last name relatively recently. Perhaps she took her mother’s surname – Gulbana Kurmanbaeva. The reasons for this are unknown to us, but we dare to assume that after the people of Kazakhstan learned about it as Elbasy’s tokal, such a decision was made.
Asel Kurmanbaeva was the founder of the company that founded the Astana Ballet Theater in 2012. But now on foundation website support of ballet and national dance, there is no information about her as the founder of the company.
This theater, by the way, was created “on the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.” His foundation took control of the company founded by Kurmanbayeva less than a year after it began operating. It was later handed over to the government. Kurmanbaeva remains involved in the theater’s activities as an art manager.
The Nazarbayev Foundation also dealt with Kurmanbayeva on another project. For two months in 2013, he became the owner of the Astau company, which Kurmanbaeva created in 2006. Then she became its owner again.
In 2018, Asel Kurmanbayeva (Isabayeva) was noticed among the listeners of the Message of Nursultan Nazarbayev while he was still president. She sat in the front rows along with important officials.
What is known about the family of Asel Kurmanbaeva (Isabaeva)?
She was born in Almaty, grew up in Taldykorgan and went to a choreographic school. Her mother Gulbanu Kurmanbaeva runs the Astau company, created by her daughter in 2006. The company owns and operates a banquet hall, spa and beauty salon in the center of Nur-Sultan.
Asel Kurmanbaeva’s father is academician Tlektes Espolov. For twenty years he has held the position of rector of the Almaty Agrarian University and is also vice-president of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A member of the Nur Otan party, Tlektes Espolov, led the election headquarters of the Medeu district of Almaty for presidential candidate Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2005. He was a deputy of the Almaty city maslikhat and a candidate for deputy of the Mazhilis in 2011. Awarded the “Parasat” and “Barys” orders.
After Asel became practically the “first lady,” the careers of her siblings also developed rapidly.
The eldest of them, an economist by training, Doctor of Economics, Aidos Espolov, headed the corporate development department of the national company KazMunayGas, worked as commercial director of the Atyrau oil refinery, and was an assistant to the head of the Office of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2006, at the age of 30, he was appointed deputy akim of Aktobe.
True, he left this post a year later.
Apparently, now Aidos Espolov is not in the civil service and is engaged in private business, being the head of a certain LLP “Scientific and Educational Holding “Gylymi Kazyna”.
The career of the youngest of the brothers, Bektenbai Espolov, is also impressive. Since 2009, he has held the following positions: expert of the Office of the President of Kazakhstan, expert of the Presidential Protocol, consultant to the Presidential Protocol, head of the Presidential Protocol sector, deputy chief of protocol, state inspector of the department of state control and organizational and territorial work of the Presidential Administration. In May last year he was appointed akim of the Almaty district of the capital, but in July of this year he resigned from this position.
At the moment, it is unknown where Bektenbai Espolov works: we have not found information about this in open sources. But we are sure that sooner or later it will definitely appear somewhere.
“Gena” or Stewardess named Gulnara
Now everyone is talking about Asel Kurmanbayeva as the third wife of the first President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. But if she is the third, then who was the second?
The second one’s name was Gulnara Rakisheva. She met Nursultan Abishevich when she worked as a flight attendant for Berkut, a special air squad of the President of Kazakhstan. The relationship between them developed rapidly, grew almost into a marital relationship and lasted for several years.
Former akim of Almaty Viktor Khrapunov, who now permanently resides in Switzerland, spoke about this in particular to the satellite TV channel K+. He also revealed the code name of the tokal – “Gena”.
In the already mentioned above interview with the Respublika portal (09.14.2015), Mukhtar Ablyazov spoke about Gulnara Rakisheva:
“Everyone in the government of Kazakhstan knew about Gulnar Rakisheva in 1998-1999. We, government ministers, flew on the same plane with Nazarbayev to interstate meetings and constantly saw her with him. And, of course, they knew each other. Nazarbayev introduced her to the presidents of countries and took her to official receptions. It was no secret.”
Gulnara Rakisheva gave birth to two daughters from Nursultan Nazarbayev and at one time even held the position of vice president at the national airline Air Astana.
Rakhat Aliyev also said in 2012 that Rakisheva had a strong influence on Nursultan Nazarbayev:
“But, for example, Gulnara Rakisheva, a flight attendant with whom the president had a long-term relationship, who bore him two girls and now lives in the West, she actively resolved many personnel issues. She even made her father, an ordinary lieutenant colonel, deputy minister of defense. She forced the president to award his father with various government awards and give him general’s shoulder straps.”
And in the same interview, Rakhat Aliyev said that Gulnara Rakisheva was “supervised” by the well-known Vladimir Ni, whose name appeared in Pandora Pappers leaks.
“As for housing issues, he gave instructions to akims, they issued state apartments. At the same time, he gave instructions to his treasurers if there was a need to finance. Rakisheva, through Kazakhmys, bought a house and villas in Spain and London, paid for by the former business manager Vladimir Ni. They paid from two sources – from the budget, because it was easy for them to do it at the expense of the state, and from previously privatized enterprises with the help of their treasurers.”
We do not know exactly what Nazarbayev’s former second wife owns today. According to some reports, Gulnara Rakisheva and her two daughters have been living in London for a long time.
Divorce and maiden name?
Sara Nazarbayeva is still considered the only official wife of Nursultan Nazarbayev. However, it is known that she stopped appearing in public as the country’s first lady just a few years after the capital was moved to Astana. And rumors about their divorce have been circulating for a long time.
In an interview on April 24, 2012, published on the Respublika portal, the son-in-law of the first president, the late Rakhat Aliyev, spoke about this:
“To be honest, it was already a de jure divorce. And one of the reasons for Nazarbayev’s move to the capital was to free himself from his long alliance with Sara Alpysovna and slowly live independently. As Sara Alpysovna said, immediately after the birth of his third daughter, he began to move away – he separated the bedrooms, began to take care of himself more, and assured that he was fully occupied at work. It turned out that she lived with the children in a city apartment, and he lived in a government dacha.”
Although on the website of the first president Sara Alpysovna is listed as Nazarbayeva, apparently, she long ago changed her surname to her maiden name – Konakai Sara Alpyskyzy. This is exactly how it is listed, for example, in reporting of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
As follows from an interview with the former akim of Almaty Viktor Khrapunov to the satellite TV channel K+, it was to him that Sara Altysovna turned to about this issue after she became aware of the existence of Gulnara Rakisheva.
“She said that she no longer wanted to promote the name Nazarbayev and would like to take back her maiden name. And then she became Konakaeva. We were told that Dariga (Nazarbayeva), in the current situation, defended her father, saying that “it was my mother’s fault that the tokal appeared, did not go to Astana with her father, but stayed in Almaty.” This was the official version for us, the inner circle.”
Domestic media resources remembered Sara Nazarbayeva, the founder and head of the Bobek national foundation, the author of the textbook “Self-Knowledge,” which is included in the school curriculum today, on her 80th birthday in February of this year. Many state-run publications and websites congratulated her on her anniversary and published old photographs of her together with Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The last time Sara Alpysovna appeared on TV channels was in 2017, when the Bobek Foundation celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its foundation. There is information that she lives in Almaty in her mansion and still maintains good relations with her daughters.
We are also sure that, whatever her current status, she is definitely not in poverty. Today Bobek is an entire educational complex, which certainly generates good income: a kindergarten, a gymnasium “Self-Knowledge”, a college, an institute, an educational and health center and an observatory. All this is located in the upper part of Almaty, in an ecologically clean area, and occupies a huge territory.
(By the way, how it was created and how the charitable foundation turned into an organization that should make a profit is described in detail in an interview with Viktor Khrapunov. According to him, at one time regional akims paid from regional budgets for children’s stay in the health center).
At the end of the article, we note: in principle, we agree with those who believe that a person’s personal life should not concern anyone. But not in this particular case.
If the top officials of the country generously give their former and current wives expensive gifts (millions of dollars, educational complexes or villas abroad) at public expense (that is, for our money), this is definitely not their personal business, and society has the right find out about it.
