Azamat Esqaraev

Azamat Nesipbaiuly Esqaraev (; born 7 October 1979) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat. He served as the minister of justice from 2023 to 2025. Since April 2025, he has been the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to the Republic of India.

Biography

Early life and career Esqaraev was born on 7 October 1979 in Almaty and graduated from the Kazakh State Law Academy.

He began his career in 1996 as a worker at DEZ-2 in Almaty and later worked in commercial trade. After completing his legal education, he joined the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, where he held a number of positions, including leadership roles in the departments of legislation, by-laws, analytics, and strategic planning.

Minister of Justice On 4 January 2023, Esqaraev was appointed Minister of Justice of Kazakhstan by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He was reappointed on 4 April 2023 and 6 February 2024.

As Minister of Justice, Esqaraev oversaw the settlement of the long-running dispute between Kazakhstan and Anatol and Gabriel Stati. In December 2024, the Government of Kazakhstan, the National Bank and the Stati parties, with the participation of Tristan Oil's creditors, reached an agreement that ended the litigation that had been ongoing since 2010 over terminated subsoil contracts. Under his leadership, the ministry expanded digital services in the justice sector. Key initiatives included the Digital Justice program, which introduced online notarial services, digital powers of attorney, automated forensic systems (E-Saraptama), and updated certification procedures for legal professionals. A pilot "bailiff robot" project was also launched to automate parts of enforcement proceedings. During his tenure, the ministry conducted legal reviews and supported more than 100 bills, including legislation related to women's and children's rights, healthcare, education, and business regulation. According to analysts cited by Orda, Yeskaraev's dismissal was linked to complaints about the Ministry of Justice's performance, including inefficiency, lack of transparency, and poorly prepared draft laws. Political scientist Zamir Qarajanov called the removal expected, arguing that the ministry's failures weakened confidence in presidential reforms. Some experts also viewed the appointment of Erlan Särsembaev—who previously worked in the NSC—as a sign of growing influence of security agencies. Others noted positive developments under Esqaraev, including the Ministry's formal recognition of the Bar and improvements to state-guaranteed legal aid tariffs.

Diplomatic service On 7 April 2025, Esqaraev was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to the Republic of India.