Kazakh-US strategic partnership commission's inaugural meeting opens new avenue for coop
The decision to establish the SPC/D was made last February at the meeting between Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who, highlighting the diversity of the bilateral agenda, agreed to enhance the instruments for bilateral dialogue.
The first SPC/D meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Umarov and Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake, the News Bulletin of the Kazakh Embassy to the US reads.
The first meeting of the SPC/D reaffirmed the commitment of Kazakhstan and the United States to further strengthening the strategic partnership on a wide range of key issues.
The United States expressed appreciation for Kazakhstan's support for the U.S. coalition in Afghanistan, including its contribution to development of critical Northern Distribution Network as well as a scholarship program to train Afghan students in Kazakh universities. Kazakhstan spoke in support of Afghanistan's integration into regional economic relations, and closer cooperation with its Central Asian neighbors.
The political working group outlined a joint course of action to promote non-proliferation and disarmament to follow up on the recent successful bilateral meeting between President Nazarbayev and President Obama in Seoul.
The working group on economic cooperation focused on trade and investment issues and Kazakhstan's prospective accession to the WTO. The sides expressed satisfaction that the last year the volume of trade between the countries increased by 25.7 percent to $2.7 billion. The U.S. continues to be one of the leading investors in the Kazakh economy - with foreign direct investment exceeding $22 billion since 1993. Another area of successful economic cooperation is the energy sector, which covers both hydrocarbon extraction, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, alternative energy sources as well as energy saving technologies.
The working group on science and technology agreed to strengthen collaboration in the fields of information and biotechnology, energy conservation and the commercialization of scientific innovations. The group's main objective is to implement the Bilateral Agreement on Science and Technology, which was signed during President Nazarbayev's visit to the U.S. in April, 2010. To ensure the timely execution of planned projects, videoconferencing, as well as traditional meetings of officials and scholars will be utilized. The key role is assigned to the University of Nazarbayev, which in a short time has established fruitful relationships with many prominent U.S. universities, including Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Pittsburgh and Harvard University.
As part of a dialogue on the human dimension, an NGO Forum was held, which was attended by seventeen NGOs involved in Kazakhstan's political modernization efforts. All parties pledged to continue constructive cooperation in Kazakhstan's political development, improving its legislative framework and creating favorable conditions for the further strengthening of civil society.
Major priorities of strategic partnership were further discussed by Deputy Minister Kairat Umarov during his separate meetings with senior officials from the U.S. State Department, National Security Council, as well as the Departments of Defense and Energy.
Overall, SPC/D discussions reaffirmed the willingness of both sides to work together on the long-term goals identified by President Nazarbayev and President Obama on the margins of the recent Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in March, 2012.
The next meeting of the SPC/D is scheduled to take place in 2013 in Astana. Till then, mid-year review of the SPC/D will be held in New York during 2012.