Kazakhstan, U.S. express value of bilateral cooperation in multiple fields

Kazakhstan and the U.S. on Wednesday expressed the high value they label to bilateral cooperation in multiple fields, as Astana and Washington's top diplomats held talks amid Tuesday's official visit by the Kazakh foreign minister.

"The Foreign Minister (Murat Nurtleu) and Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) highly valued the cooperation between the countries in the fields of energy security, critical minerals, climate, peacekeeping, etc," said a statement by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Nurtleu and Blinken discussed the development of an enhanced strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the U.S. on a wide range of topics, the statement noted, saying that Nurtleu focused on the implementation of his country's potential in various sectors, such as transport, logistics, infrastructure, trade, and investment.

This potential would be implemented through "attracting advanced American technologies, strengthening business contacts and achieving mutually beneficial trade relations," it added.

"Secretary Blinken welcomed the consistency of fundamental reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and underlined Washington's readiness to continue its full assistance in implementing the reforms," the statement also said.

"The United States recognizes Kazakhstan's true leadership in many global issues," Blinken was further quoted as saying.

It added that the parties went on to discuss opportunities to expand the C5+1 dialogue format involving all Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — and to further implement agreements from the format's first-ever summit held last September.

Separately, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the two diplomats discussed their shared interest in advancing the partnership between the two countries and noted their commitment to strengthening investment and diversifying the Kazakh economy.

"He (Blinken) also reaffirmed the United States' commitment as a reliable partner to Kazakhstan's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity," Miller said according to a State Department readout, adding that they also discussed their "continued support for a strong, connected, and prosperous Central Asian region."