A rare photo of Tokayev from his student years has been shared online.

Sinologist Ivan Zuenko shared an archival photo featuring Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his student internship in China, as reported by NUR.KZ.

https://www.nur.kz/politics/kazakhstan/2210567-redkiy-snimok-tokaeva-v-studencheskie-gody-opublikovali-v-seti/2025-01-11 08:27:10

The black-and-white photograph of Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was taken in the Chinese province of Jiangsu in 1983.

"I found a photo of two interns from the first group of 1983/1984 in my archives, which was quite small — only 10 people. Unlike the subsequent cohorts, which included well-known sinologists in the academic community, this group might seem inconspicuous. However, at least two of its members left a significant mark in history," — wrote Zuienko on his Telegram channel.

According to him, the photo features Kassym-Jomart Tokayev — at that time a 30-year-old employee of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a graduate of MGIMO, as well as Igor Morgulov — then a 22-year-old graduate of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, who is now the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to China.

Also present in the photograph is Andrey Tsarenko, a student at MGIMO in 1983, who later became an employee of the Soviet embassy. The picture was taken during a trip to Wuxi, Jiangsu province.

Earlier, the presidential press service showcased an archival photograph of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev taken in 1989.

Additionally, a traditional "Saturday photo" was published earlier, featuring a 17-year-old Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.