Transcripts
Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried; Press Availability Following Meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev
Ak Orda, Presidential Administration
Astana, Kazakhstan
September 30, 2005
A/S Fried: I and my delegation have just finished a productive, very useful meeting with President Nazarbayev. We had a wide-ranging discussion about the relations between our two countries, which are developing well. We discussed developments in the region of Central Asia. And we discussed our two nations’ common commitment to advance security, prosperity, and democratic reform, in this region, working together.
The president spoke about the upcoming elections and his commitment that they be free and fair, which we all appreciate. And we spoke about the support of the international community and the OSCE, which, as is the custom, can send observers to support the process of free and democratic elections.
Relations between the United States and Kazakhstan are developing well. It is my hope that the visit of my delegation can add to our cooperation, and we outlined an agenda of possible further work.
From here, I and my delegation are going to meet with the Foreign Minister for a discussion of further details of cooperation between our two countries.
Finally, I expressed my thanks to the president for the cooperation and support of Kazakhstan in many areas, including cooperation in the war on terror and cooperation to help the people of Iraq.
If it is the custom, I’d be happy to take questions.
Q: You came here right after a visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. What can you say about our country, in comparison with those?
A: Well, that question is a temptation to be very undiplomatic. I would say that my delegation and I did visit Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is very clear that, thanks to economic reforms and strong leadership, the economy in Kazakhstan is advancing rapidly.
Obviously, the oil sector, the energy sector, has propelled this, but the economy is far more balanced than it would be without these reforms. In my meetings in Bishkek with the leadership of the country, it is clear that they are working through some of the problems they inherited and have some challenges to meet.
My country very much supports the efforts of the Government of Kyrgyzstan to advance its reforms, deal with corruption, and get the country moving forward. President Nazarbayev and I discussed our nations’ desire to support your neighbor, Kyrgyzstan.
Q: What are the status and prospects for bilateral, economic development?
A: Well, I think that the future for bilateral economic relations is very, very bright. The United States is the #1 international investor in Kazakhstan. As business conditions here continue to improve, I don’t doubt that American companies will want to invest more in Kazakhstan. It is also true that the economy here is developing, not just thanks to the oil and gas economy, but through the development of small and medium business, and this is a very good development. And as the non-energy sectors of the Kazakhstani economy grow, I hope that American investors will invest the new sectors as well.
Q: What can you tell us about cooperation in security?
A: This did come up in my discussions with the President. We have good cooperation and we hope to have even more cooperation in the future. Thank you very much.