Kazakhstan, US to strengthen military ties

Kazakhstan and the United States have agreed to improve bilateral military cooperation, the Kazakh Defense Ministry said Thursday. Defense Minister Adylbek Dzhaksybekov, who is on his official visit to the United States, has met with his U.S. counterpart, Chuck Hagel, in Washington and the two sides discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and Central Asia, said the ministry in a news release. Dzhaksybekov said that Kazakhstan supports the international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. As President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said, Kazakhstan is ready to give economic and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, he noted. Kazakhstan will also support other countries in the region to improve their security, he said. Dzhaksybekov said military cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United States contributed to regional stability. "The United States of America for Kazakhstan is a strategic partner," Dzhaksybekov said, adding that "one of the important aspects of cooperation is mutual activity in the military sphere." Hagel said that Kazakhstan made its contribution to the stabilization of Central Asia. The Pentagon is ready to continue to develop relations with Kazakh armed forces, and further improve cooperation in training, joint exercises and in the military-industrial aspect, Hagel said. Last year, Kazakhstan and the United States signed a five-year cooperation plan starting from the year of 2013, and both sides pledged to increase cooperation in peacekeeping and military education.