Tony Blair stars in Kazakhstan promotional video The promotional video, though, concentrates on Kazakhstan's economic progress and stability under Mr Nazarbayev, who has ruled throughout independence. Kazakhstan has become rich on energy and mineral wealth, attracting senior businessmen and a series of high profile advisers to the country. Mr Blair arguably became Kazakhstan's highest-profile signing when he reportedly signed a deal in 2011. His team have repeatedly denied that he was profiting from the deal and said that his only involvement had been to pick a team of advisers based in Astana. Kazakh officials, though, have said that the former British Prime Minister is personally advising the Kazakh President. In November they released video footage of Mr Blair sitting in the presidential office at Mr Nazarbayev's right-hand side, a place normally reserved for subservient ministers. Despite the high-profile cast, the promotional video has not been a runaway success. At the time of writing, only 222 people had viewed the video on YouTube. Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia Researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "Tony Blair is in a better position than most to know that a country that violates fundamental human rights is not a good environment for economic investment." A spokesman for Mr Blair said the former prime minister was advising "on questions of institutional and political reform as well as economic development." "In the interview to which you refer, Mr Blair also made it clear that there had to be political reform including on human rights," he said. Indeed he's working with the Government on that. So you're quoting one part of his remarks and not another. But he was commenting on their 20 years since independence.