UNIPATH STAFF
Building on years of fertile military cooperation, the U.S. and Kazakhstan could widen cooperation in the fields of economics, politics and diplomacy.
Derek Chollet, adviser to the U.S. Department of State, described improving relations between the two countries in an interview with the Kazakh media.
“Kazakhstan has been our partner for quite a long time in matters of nonproliferation, disarmament, peacekeeping, and repatriation of Kazakhstanis from Syria,” Chollet said.
He added: “We see our cooperation growing beyond military cooperation. This is diplomatic, economic and political cooperation.”
Chollet expressed the U.S. interest in fostering the C5+1 program, which includes all five Central Asian states and the U.S. and serves as a security and diplomatic platform among them.
As the next step toward deepening relations between Kazakhstan and the U.S., Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu received a Kazakh diplomatic delegation headed by First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kairat Umarov in Washington D.C. for the yearly U.S.-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue.
Lu expressed continued U.S. support for the preservation of Kazakhstan’s independence and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s domestic reforms. Both sides stressed their commitment to holding this annual bilateral dialogue and sustained high-level diplomatic visits in 2023.
Sources: Kaztag.kz, U.S. Department of State