    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [September 29, 2006]
    [Pages 1730-1732]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Joint Statement by the United States of America and the Republic of
    Kazakhstan
    September 29, 2006

        We express satisfaction with the progress the United States and
    Kazakhstan have made in advancing our strategic partnership, and declare
    our commitment to a shared vision of stability, prosperity, and
    democratic reform in Central Asia and the broader region.
        We affirm our commitment to advancing that vision through an
    increasingly dynamic and varied partnership that advances our global and
    regional objectives. We will deepen our cooperation in fighting
    international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass
    destruction. We will strengthen our cooperation to enhance regional
    security and economic integration and the reconstruction of Afghanistan
    and Iraq. We will expand our joint activities to ensure the development
    of energy resources, while supporting economic diversification and
    reform, market principles, and the development of small- and medium-size
    enterprises. We recognize that peaceful democratization invests citizens
    in the future of their nation. Developing

    [[Page 1731]]

    democratic institutions is therefore the crucial condition of long-term
    stability.
        The United States and Kazakhstan reaffirm the importance of
    democratic development, and are committed to accelerating Kazakhstan's
    efforts to strengthen representative institutions that further invest
    its citizens in the political process, such as an independent media,
    local self-government, and elections deemed free and fair by
    international standards. We note that our two governments are
    signatories to international human rights covenants and our common
    membership in organizations whose goal is to support democracy and human
    rights, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
    Europe. The United States supports efforts to promote democracy,
    strengthen religious freedoms, and bolster civil society in Kazakhstan.
    With the full participation of all political parties and non-
    governmental organizations, the United States supports the activity of
    the State Commission to develop a program of democratic reforms.
    Kazakhstan supports the assistance of American and other international
    non-governmental organizations promoting these objectives and will take
    the necessary steps to facilitate their legal functioning.
        The United States commends Kazakhstan's traditions of religious
    tolerance and its efforts to promote inter-ethnic harmony and
    cooperation. We welcome the initiatives Kazakhstan has taken
    internationally to promote mutual understanding and strengthen religious
    freedoms, such as the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional
    Religions, as well as initiatives to promote peace, such as the
    Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.
    These initiatives bring important contributions to inter-religious and
    inter-ethnic tolerance, as well as international security and conflict
    resolution. We commit to deepening our cooperation to help ensure mutual
    understanding and security in the world.
        The United States recognizes Kazakhstan's leadership and commends
    its efforts in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass
    destruction, thus enhancing global security. Kazakhstan was the first
    country to voluntarily renounce its nuclear weapons after the break up
    of the former Soviet Union and also closed its nuclear test site. This
    example reflects our shared commitment to threat reduction and
    nonproliferation remains a cornerstone of our joint effort to ensure
    global and regional security. We welcome new agreements to blend down
    highly enriched uranium in Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan's strong policy of
    strengthening the regime of nuclear nonproliferation as concrete steps
    in support of the recently launched Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
    Terrorism.
        The United States and Kazakhstan are steadfast partners in the
    international war on terrorism. The United States is grateful to
    Kazakhstan for its unwavering commitment to strengthening stability in
    Afghanistan and Iraq. We commit to further strengthening the excellent
    cooperation already achieved by our two countries, and confirm the
    determination to strengthen our close cooperation in the fight against
    international terrorism and illegal trafficking in drugs, persons, and
    dangerous weapons.
        We commit to further cooperation between our armed forces in
    counterterrorism and peacekeeping operations, both bilaterally and
    through NATO's Partnership for Peace Program.
        We commend our energy partnership which has helped move Kazakhstan
    into the ranks of the world's leading reliable suppliers of hydrocarbon
    reserves. The United States welcomes Kazakhstan's recent accession to
    the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline which has made a valuable contribution
    to this important multilateral project. Our energy partnership will
    promote the participation of U.S. companies in exploring the reserves of
    Kazakhstan, as well as in the development of nuclear energy. Our nations

    [[Page 1732]]

    pledge to enhance common efforts to expand global energy supplies and
    will seek new means to deliver those resources to the international
    market.
        We share a commitment to economic diversification across a range of
    industries and sectors. Recognizing Kazakhstan's macroeconomic reforms
    and impressive economic successes, the United States will continue to
    assist in Kazakhstan's transformation into a strong, economically
    developed country. Both sides view liberalization and diversification of
    the economy as a key to sustained growth. The United States supports
    Kazakhstan's plan to join the world's fifty most competitive nations
    consistent with the strategy outlined by President Nursultan
    Nazarbayev. Strengthening the rule of
    law, taking steps to improve Kazakhstan's investment climate, and
    reducing business risk will contribute to that shared goal. We pledge
    our support for efforts under the Extractive Industries Transparency
    Initiative (EITI) to ensure that companies in the petroleum and mining
    industries observe international standards of transparency and
    accountability.
        The United States supports Kazakhstan's membership in the World
    Trade Organization, and welcomes Kazakhstan's efforts to prepare for
    membership, recognizing that a market access agreement will enhance free
    trade and contribute to the continuing modernization of Kazakhstan's
    economy. The United States will send a team of experts to Kazakhstan in
    the coming months to continue this joint work. Both sides pledge to
    facilitate Kazakhstan's graduation under the Jackson-Vanik Amendment.
        In order to strengthen friendship between our peoples, we intend to
    expand our cultural and humanitarian cooperation, including exchanges of
    students. We also intend to strengthen scientific and technical
    cooperation between researchers and students at universities, research
    institutes, and in the private sector.
        The United States supports Kazakhstan's leadership in regional
    integration efforts including its significant investment throughout
    Eurasia and in Afghanistan. We declare our common commitment to
    strengthen the independence, sovereignty and security of, and to develop
    democratic institutions in, the countries of the region, ensuring their
    sustainable development and prosperity. We pledge to support legal trade
    by improving border crossings and customs procedures, the implementation
    of transportation and infrastructure projects, and the use of cross-
    border resources.
        Confirming our commitment to this shared view to implementing the
    agreements achieved today, we declare our intention to further
    strengthen our strategic partnership through enhanced strategic
    dialogues on energy, military cooperation, trade and investment, and
    democratization. We express firm confidence that an enhanced strategic
    partnership between our countries will promote security and prosperity
    and foster democracy in the 21st Century.

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint statement.