UNIPATH STAFF
Kazakhstan hosted several delegations of U.S. officials in the summer of 2019, discussions meant to build on the two countries’ cooperation in matters of security, trade and investment.
In a meeting with Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on August 9, 2019, in Nur-Sultan, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives emphasized Kazakhstan’s importance in strengthening stability and security in Central Asia and Afghanistan as well as fighting international terrorism.
Later that month, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale arrived in the Kazakhstani capital to meet the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Although the meeting covered common security, economic and environmental issues in the region, Hale paid close attention to bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and the United States. In the wake of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s sudden resignation in March 2019, representatives of both countries issued reassurances that political, security, trade and investment agreements reached between Nazarbayev and U.S. President Donald Trump in January 2018 would continue to be honored.
Building on that momentum, Hale and Kazakhstani Prime Minister Askar Mamin discussed deepening trade and economic cooperation.
American analysts stress that President Tokayev is unlikely to change the course of close and warm relations with the U.S. The recent leadership transition provides an opportunity for the countries to draw even closer.