11:47, 14 февраля 2020, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Aigul KUVATOVA
Deputy of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan Dastan Bekeshev is indignant that «a person not from among the diplomats was appointed» to the post of State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He stated this in the Parliament.
Last week, the former state secretary of the State Agency for Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports Nurzhan Bardinova was appointed to the same position, but in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
«I ask you to pay attention to the staff turmoil in the Foreign Ministry. Diplomats turn and say that this has not happened before. I just give you one example. An archives clerk has to speak the Turkish language, as if a vacancy is announced for someone. The State Secretary was appointed not from among the diplomats at all,» said Dastan Bekeshev.
The status of State Secretary is equivalent to the status of the first deputy head of the ministry. However, Nurzhan Bardinova does not have any experience in the diplomatic service and a specialized education. She began her career as a teacher of Russian language and literature at the Tereshkova boarding school in Osh city. For several years she had been a leading specialist for the Commission for Family, Women and Youth Affairs in the southern capital. She worked as a specialist in the healthcare system. For the past 12 years, she had served as a State Secretary of the State Sports Agency.
Diplomats also spoke out about the appointment of Nurzhan Bardinova.
«In the history of our Foreign Ministry over the past thirty years, I do not remember such a case when a person from outside was appointed to such a high position. And this is explained by the fact that the Foreign Ministry system, not only here, but throughout the world, is a «state in a state,» and, at the same time, solves a number of strategic tasks — protection of sovereignty, ensuring national security, development of comprehensively calculated relations with the world community, protecting the rights and interests of its citizens, the country’s representation in world processes, solution of complex international problems and etc. And selection and placement of personnel here is not only an important task, but also the success or failure of the country’s policy in the international arena,» Avazbek Atakhanov, Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Qatar, also posted on Facebook.
He also noted that the State Secretary has the right to sign and make decisions in the absence of the minister. «Therefore, such a «flexible» approach of the government to the appointment of a new State Secretary causes not only regret but personal disappointment in the Prime Minister, but also leads to the idea that people sitting in «high» offices are not very aware of what they are doing. It’s a pity,» Avazbek Atakhanov posted.
Other Foreign Ministry officials also perceived the appointment ambiguously. «The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not just a supply manager and a HR specialist. In world diplomacy, this is the key position responsible for the continuity of the state’s foreign policy, regardless of the change of government or political leadership. Traditionally, the position of State Secretary is considered as the highest for a professional diplomat. Appointment of the State Secretary completely alien to diplomacy is nonsense. It is absolutely impossible to imagine how Bardinova is going to work with the team, not understanding foreign policy, not speaking a single language, not having an idea of the priorities of state interests in a particular country. Almost the entire staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in shock,» the ministry said to 24.kg news agency.
As noted, the Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov was entitled to refuse this appointment, but he did not do it.
Recall, this is not the first scandal related to personnel appointments to the diplomatic service. Earlier, the public was outraged by the appointment of Azimbek Beknazarov the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Malaysia.