AKIPRESS.COM - Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met on September 20, in New York City, on the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly, initiating the Fifth meeting of the U.S.-Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership Dialogue, the Kazakh MFA said in a release on September 26.

On the eve of this year celebrations of the 25th anniversaries of the independence of Kazakhstan and the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Kazakhstan and the United States said "the strategic partnership between the two countries has never been stronger."

"As the first ever Central Asian state to be elected to the UN Security Council, Kazakhstan looks forward to working closely with the United States to advance shared priorities.

The United States welcomed Kazakhstan’s leadership in supporting security and development in Afghanistan and in advancing regional economic integration in Central Asia, including through engagement in the C5+1 format. Kazakhstan and the United States reaffirmed their shared commitment to preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Both sides pledged to deepen their cooperation in countering the threats of terrorism and violent extremism," the statement said.

"Kazakhstan and the United States are committed to combating climate change, and the United States welcomed Kazakhstan’s determination to ratify the 21st Conference of the Parties by the end of this year. The two countries stressed the importance of energy security, and the United States welcomed Astana Expo 2017, with its focus on green energy," the statement said.

Delegations headed by Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Ashikbayev and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal reviewed strong Kazakhstan-U.S. cooperation and challenges on international and regional affairs, security, economics, environment, human rights, and other issues of mutual interest.

The two agreed to hold a full interagency Strategic Partnership Dialogue in 2017 and continue high-level engagement in other fora.