ISLAMABAD: Yerkin Valitkhanuly Tukumov, a distinguished Kazakh diplomat, political scientist and strategic affairs expert, is serving as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.Born on July 2, 1973, Tukumov has extensive experience in diplomacy, international relations, strategic research and national security. His professional career spans several key positions in Kazakhstan’s government, foreign ministry and leading research institutions.
He graduated from the Institute of International Relations at the University of Warsaw, Poland, in 1997 and completed his studies at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2016. He holds a PhD in Political Science and is proficient in Polish and English.Tukumov began his career in 1997 as a senior researcher at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan. From 2000 to 2005, he served as chief researcher and head of its Department of Foreign Policy and International Relations. He subsequently held positions in public policy research and strategic analysis, including director of the Central Asian Fund for the Development of Democracy from 2005 to 2007.
Between 2007 and 2008, he worked in the Information and Analytical Centre of the Presidential Administration before joining the Centre for Strategic Studies and Analysis. From 2008 to 2010, he served as deputy director and director of the Central Asia Department at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.From 2010 to 2018, Tukumov headed the Analytical Department of Kazakhstan’s Security Council. He later served as Consul General of Kazakhstan in Kazan, Russia, from 2018 to 2019, followed by his appointment as Minister-Counsellor at the Kazakh Embassy in the Russian Federation from 2019 to 2022.From 2022 to 2025, he served as director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President, contributing to policy research and strategic analysis on regional and international affairs.
In June 2025, Tukumov was appointed Ambassador-at-Large at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan for Afghanistan.He holds the diplomatic rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Second Class.His appointment as Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Pakistan comes against the backdrop of longstanding bilateral ties and shared interests in strengthening diplomatic engagement, regional connectivity, trade and cooperation across Central and South Asia.
