[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

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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

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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.