President of Uzbekistan
Safoyev was married and divorced in 2001. In 2003, while he was the foreign minister, allegations surfaced about his possible marriage to Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, and President Karimov's alleged plans for his replacement by Safoyev. Gulnara Karimova was also divorced with two children. However, the allegations were refuted and the marriage was denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The BBC, which published the story, was accused by then the First Deputy Minister Vladimir Norov of an intrusion into the personal lives of Safoyev and Karimova.