UNIPATH STAFF
Building on 31 years of partnership, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairat Umarov welcomed U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu to Astana for the 5th annual United States-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue (ESPD).
The U.S.-Kazakhstan ESPD was created to find opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and to advance shared priorities. The latest dialogue occurred on November 6, 2023.
The Kazakh and U.S. delegations discussed political and security issues that included regional geopolitics, counterterrorism, law enforcement cooperation, countering the synthetic drugs threat, and nuclear nonproliferation. The participants discussed maintaining open channels of communication, including dialogues and exchange of mutual visits.
Minister Umarov opened the meeting by highlighting the successful and productive first C5+1 Presidential Summit on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2023.
Assistant Secretary of State Lu underscored Kazakhstan’s active support of the C5+1 diplomatic platform as an important tool to address challenges together and to create a more prosperous and secure Central Asia, and reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Lu followed up the Kazakh visit with a diplomatic engagement in Uzbekistan a day later.
The delegations discussed facilitating and diversifying trade and investment, cooperating to expand clean energy use and combat climate change, critical minerals and geology partnerships, as well as science and technology cooperation.
The participants also emphasized the importance of facilitating sustainable development of transportation routes and identifying the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) as a potential avenue to address this goal. The two sides share a desire to continue working toward permanent normal trade relations. The delegations intend to continue consultations on sanctions policy.
On the topic of human rights, the U.S. and Kazakhstan highlighted political reforms, good governance, rule of law, and continued education exchange programs. Discussions also included efforts to promote media freedom and foster a resilient civil society and ways to reduce human trafficking.
Umarov underscored Kazakhstan’s commitment to fully implement President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s reform agenda. Speaking for his country, Lu concurred with the reform efforts. Sources: U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, Akorda.kz, Astana Times, 24.kz