Saudabayev, Clinton met in Washington

K.Saudabayev conveyed congratulations of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to H.Clinton on her entrance upon the US Secretary of State duties, noting that Kazakhstan is optimistic about prospects of cooperation strengthening with a new administration of the USA. Warmly remembering her visit to Kazakhstan in 1996 as the First Lady of the USA, H.Clinton conveyed gratitude to the Kazakh President for congratulations and the best wishes and expressed hope for further partnership. K.Saudabayev met with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Joseph Burns. The sides discussed prospects of development of the Kazakh-US strategic interaction on a number of topical international problems. W.Burns noted that the new administration of US President Barack Obama pays a big significance to strengthening close mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and the Head of the White House confirmed it in a telephone conversation with N.Nazarbayev. Within the meeting the most important spheres of interaction were defined: stabilization of situation in Afghanistan, non-proliferation of weapon of mass destruction and ensuring successful chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the OSCE. The same day K.Saudabayev attended the National Prayer Breakfast, at which US President Barack Obama and British ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair delivered speeches. Within the breakfast a discussion of strengthening ways of mutual understanding between people of different religions was held. Then K.Saudabayev made a report ?Growing role of Kazakhstan in Eurasia? at a roundtable held with participation of the US politicians, experts and representatives of business circles in one of the leading scientific-research centers of the USA ? the Carnegie Foundation. Within the event the prospects of strengthening relations between the two countries in the sphere of security and regional development, energy, trade and investments were discussed.