Management in oil and gas transport state companies of Kazakhstan changed

/REUTERS, Astana, Raushan Nurshaeva, September 05, 02/ - In Kazakhstan state companies KazTransGaz and KazTransOil, which are included into Kazmunaigaz holding, the management changed, informed representative of KazTransOil. Askar Smankulov was appointed new general director of pipeline company KazTransOil, which is transporting and transferring oil. The last Head of KazTransOil Abay Sadykov became the director of gas transport company KazTransGaz. Smankulov, who was born in 1964, had been working in the company KazTransOil from the moment of its foundation in 1997, and till present had a position of the First deputy general director of KazTransOil. Observers do not expect fundamental changes with coming of Smankulov in the company's operations, which controls mainline oil pipelines, including export Atyrau-Samara with capacity of 15m tons a year. Sadykov on the position of the head of KazTransGaz replaced Nurgali Ashimov, which earlier was appointed first deputy minister of energy and mineral resources of Kazakhstan. According to the source in Kazmunaigaz, appointment of Sadykov to the Head of KazTransGaz is aimed to "systematize the operations of the company, as the interests of some states intersect in this sphere". Transit of gas from Uzbekistan and Turkmenia is carried out through gas transport network of Kazakhstan. [2002-09-05]