Kazakhstan’s deputy minister for emergency situations resigns after being criticized by President Tokayev
According to the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations, Deputy Minister Marat Kuldikov wrote a report on his dismissal from his post at his own request. This was reported to “Kursiv” in the press service of the department.
«The procedure of his official resignation is underway,» the agency said.
What happened? Last month, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Abay region when there was a massive wildfire. He was angry with the actions of responsible officials and even stopped short a report by Kuldikov by calling it «irrelevant.»
«The minister didn’t come and the governor sent his deputies instead of being here in person. Is it an adequate approach to work? Tell me about this! Here is my straight question: why was the weather forecast wrong?» Tokayev asked the official at the time.
On June 8, a wildfire broke out in the Batpaevsky forestry within the Semey Ormany reserve that forced authorities to evacuate local residents. Initially, the area of the fire was less than three hectares, but then it rapidly escalated to cover one hundred hectares of the forest. First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said that government agencies failed to adequately assess the situation that led to a massive wildfire.
On June 9, authorities of the town of Semey declared a regime of local emergency. The next day they found the bodies of 14 dead foresters, who were sent to fight the fire. On June 13, the body of tractor driver Sergei Arkhipov, the 15th victim of the tragedy, was found.
President Tokayev declared June 12 the Day of National Mourning. Later, the Ministry for Emergency Situations reported that the wildfire in the Abay region was localized.
On June 13, Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov told journalists that the agency opened two criminal cases in regard to the wildfire in the Abay region. Yury Ilyin, the discharged minister for emergency situations is also in the orbit of the criminal process. According to Deputy General Prosecutor Zhandos Umiraliev, the prosecutors are also going to ask some questions to Minister of Ecology Zulfiya Suleimenova (the agency supervises the Semey Ormany reserve), Governor of the Abai region Nurlan Urankhaev and Danial Akhmetov, ex-governor of the East Kazakhstan region, who was in office for nine years.
