Kazakhstan, US review their strategic partnership

The conference summarized 20 years of Kazakhstan-U.S. interaction and was timed to coincide with the 20^th anniversary of the first official visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the U.S. in 1992 at the invitation of then-President George H.W. Bush, the News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan reads.

The conference focused on cooperation between Kazakhstan and the U.S. in the areas of non-proliferation and reduction of nuclear weapons, energy, trade, technology, security and democracy building. The event also charted the many ways in which the Kazakhstan-U.S. relationship has grown to new heights during times of global challenge.

Director of the Nazarbayev Center Kanat Saudabayev read the address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan: "In May 1992, at the invitation of U.S. President George H.W. Bush, I paid my first official visit to Washington, D.C., as the head of an independent Kazakhstan. During that visit we laid a solid foundation for cooperation between our countries based on the principles of friendship, mutual understanding and respect. Today, looking back at the path covered, we can proudly say that over the 20 years of independent development Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the U.S. and other countries, has become a reliable and respected partner for the international community."

"Your visit to Washington helped lay the groundwork for a unique, strategic partnership that continues to yield benefits not only for both our nations, but the world as well," wrote former U.S. President George H.W. Bush in his letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, which was read out by Kenneth Fairfax, the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan.

In a letter to the conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote: "Kazakhstan is the model for efforts around the world to eliminate nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands."

"The theme of the conference clearly and concisely reflects the process of establishing, strengthening and developing relations between the two countries, which today are reliable strategic partners," Director Saudabayev said at the conference.

Participants discussed common areas of cooperation including non-proliferation and the nuclear weapon reduction. The 20 years of cooperation in this area illustrates how closely Kazakhstan and the U.S. partner on so many issues.

"Both of our countries have benefited from the cooperation," former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker said in a video message to the participants of the conference. "Even when the war in Afghanistan and antiterrorism efforts strained relations in recent years, our two countries have continued to cooperate on economic development, education, regional policy and nuclear non-proliferation."

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell also sent a video message and said, "As a result of those courageous decisions that you made as a people with the leadership of your President, you have had a great relationship with the U.S for the past 20 years. If you had told me 20 years ago when I was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that General Electric would be building locomotives in Kazakhstan I would have found that very, very difficult to believe. But it's happened."

Speakers included Minister of Industry and New Technologies Aset Issekeshev, Minister of Oil and Gas Sauat Mynbayev, Minister of Environmental Protection Nurlan Kapparov, First Deputy Defense Minister - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Col. Gen. Saken Zhasuzakov, President of the KazAtomProm national atomic company Vladimir Shkolnik, leader of the "Ak Zhol" party and deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament Azat Peruashev, Secretary of the "Nur Otan" party Yerlan Karin, the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and current Director of the Diplomacy Institute in the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the RK Tuleutay Suleimenov.

Other participants included Ambassador Kenneth Fairfax, U.S. Commissioner to the U.S.-Russian Bilateral Consultative Commission under the New START Treaty, former U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan John Ordway, the first U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan William Courtney, the Vice-Chairman and Executive Vice-President of Chevron George Kirkland, senior experts of the U.S. influential think tanks such as Martha Olcott from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Ariel Cohen from the Heritage Foundation and Vladimir Socor from Jamestown Foundation as well as the President of the International Tax and Investment Center Daniel Witt.

An exhibition, which includes archival photographic documents and reflects the history of the development of bilateral cooperation over the years of partnership, was on display at the conference and will last for the next two weeks.