ASTANA,July 4 /Correspondent LP/ — Nurlan Yermekbayev has been appointed Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for the 2025-2027 term. His appointment was announced at the SCO Summit in Astana on July 4. Yermekbayev previously served as SCO Deputy Secretary General, a position he took on in 2023.
Born on January 1, 1963, in the South Kazakhstan region, Yermekbayev graduated with honors from the Oriental Faculty of the Military Red Banner Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR in 1986, specializing as an officer proficient in Chinese and English. He furthered his education at the Kazakh Academy of Architecture and Construction, earning a degree in Economic Engineering in 1996.
Yermekbayev’s career has been distinguished by various diplomatic and administrative roles, including assignments in Angola, China, Austria, and Singapore. He served as Kazakh Minister of Religious Affairs and Civil Society before assuming leadership roles in the Ministry of Defense.
As Minister of Defense, Yermekbayev oversaw pivotal military operations, including Kazakhstan’s first deployment of peacekeeping soldiers and military medics to Lebanon in 2018 and 2019.
