Remarks With Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov Preceding Bilateral Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

February 1, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I’m delighted to welcome my colleague, the foreign minister of Kazakhstan, a country with whom we have very friendly relations and work together on a whole range of issues, both bilaterally and regionally and globally. Kazakhstan has served in recent years as the chair of the OSCE, the chair of OIC, and has been very helpful in our efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. So I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss at length some of the issues that we’re working on together.

FOREIGN MINISTER KAZYKHANOV: Thank you, Madam Secretary. This is my first visit as a foreign minister to Washington, and I’m looking forward for the discussion of our strategic partnership between our two countries, and I would like to thank Madam Secretary for inviting me. And in 20 years time, two countries covered a lot, and we are prepared to strengthen our cooperation in the future. I think that we will discuss today successful cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United States on nuclear nonproliferation and upcoming meeting between two presidents on the sidelines of Seoul Summit.

We also will cover issues of stabilization in Afghanistan and our logistics support to the Northern Distribution Network, issues of trade investment and energy partnership, of greatest importance, and as well as the topics of visa simplification procedures. And thank you again, Madam Secretary, for these wonderful opportunities to meet with you here in Washington.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much.

FOREIGN MINISTER KAZYKHANOV: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Yerzhan.

FOREIGN MINISTER KAZYKHANOV: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you all very much.

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