Active cooperation with Washington to continue in areas of mutual interest for CA countries and US - Aibek Smadiyarov
What are the results of the recent telephone conversation between Mukhtar Tileuberdi, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken? Can you share details with us?
Kazakhstan and the United States are developing an expanded strategic partnership, characterized by multifaceted interaction on a wide range of issues. This year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The United States, as a strategic partner of Kazakhstan, was among the first countries to provide humanitarian assistance to our country in the fight against the coronavirus infection in the amount of more than 6.2 million US dollars.
The U.S. was one of the first to recognize the independence of our country, and is the second largest investor. Kazakhstan is interested in the long-term presence of American business in our economy. Currently, more than 500 companies with the participation of American capital operate in Kazakhstan. Cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, aerospace industry, and information technology is actively developing.
Given the expanded strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States, it is quite natural that the foreign ministers of the two countries maintain regular contacts. Thus, during a recent telephone conversation, the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tileuberdi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed a number of topical issues of bilateral and global cooperation.
In particular, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the expanded strategic partnership, including by maintaining a political dialogue at the highest level.
They noted the importance of holding joint events of bilateral and regional cooperation and outlined plans for their implementation in the year of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Cooperation on combating climate change, developing effective public administration, strengthening economic cooperation in the region, and promoting the development of Afghanistan in the context of the upcoming withdrawal of American troops from the Afghanistan has been identified as priority areas.
Welcoming the overall development of Kazakhstan, the U.S. Secretary of State stressed that «United States firmly supports the Plan of Political Reforms of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev».
Taking into account the priority of combating climate change for the two countries, the parties welcomed the participation of the Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Magzum Mirzagaliyev in a roundtable on the sidelines of the Leaders' Summit on Climate (April 23 this year) and his contacts with the the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
Another topic of discussion was the development of regional cooperation within the framework of the C5+1 dialogue platform, which in the 5 years since its creation has become an effective platform for interaction between the countries of Central Asia and the United States.
The interlocutors agreed to maintain regular contacts and discuss topical issues.
Can you report on the main results of the recent ministerial meeting of C5+1?
The C5+1 format is a regional multilateral mechanism of interaction between the countries of Central Asia and the United States. The main goal of the platform is to promote the development of Central Asia as a stable and integrated region, actively participating in strengthening global relations.
Since 2015, the foreign ministers of the six countries have held regular meetings. The C5+1 high-level meeting held on April 23, 2021, in the form of a video conference, was the 10th since the launch of this initiative.
The participants discussed ways and plans to expand trade and economic relations, as well as joint efforts to respond to challenges during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. A constructive exchange of views took place on the approaches of the parties to ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan and the problems of climate change.
The parties noted that despite the global turmoil, the platform remains an effective platform for the development of transit and transport potential, as well as strengthening regional security.
Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tileuberdi, stressed «the importance of continuing work within the framework of the C5+1 dialogue to attract American investment and technology to Central Asia, as well as to combat climate change.»
It is noteworthy that the «C5+1» ministerial meeting took place in the first 100 days of the presidency of Joe Biden, which suggests that Central Asia remains the focus of the new U.S. Administration. In our opinion, active cooperation with Washington will continue in areas of mutual interest for the Central Asian countries and the United States.