Chief of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Lebedev has been appointed as the new CIS Executive Secretary to succeed to Vladimir Rushailo, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at the CIS summit on Friday.

In his opinion, Lebedev will give a fresh impetus to the CIS development.

"Today we have discussed the nominee for the CIS Executive Chairman," Nazarbayev said. "We know that the Russian nominee supported by all presidents, Mr. Lebedev, has proven to be a highly educated and qualified man. We are certain that his activity will promote fruitful cooperation at the CIS and give a fresh impetus to the organization’s development."

Rushailo was awarded with the CIS Memorable Medal for his contribution to the development of the organization.

Gen. Lebedev was born in Uzbekistan on April 9, 1948.

He is a graduate of the Chernigov branch of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, the Kiev School of KGB, the Soviet KGB Institute, and the Soviet Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy.

Lebedev is fluent in German and English.

He worked for the Chernigov branch of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute and was a secretary of the Chernigov city committee of the Young Communist League (KOMSOMOL) in 1970.

Lebedev was a conscript of the Kiev military district in 1971-1972.

He became a KGB officer in 1973, joined the Foreign Intelligence Service in 1975, and had numerous foreign missions in Germany.

In 1998-2000 Lebedev was an official representative of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service in the United States.

He was put in charge of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service on May 20, 2000, and became a member of the Russian Security Council in the same year.

Lebedev is married with two sons.