The United States and Kazakhstan

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the importance of the relationship between Kazakhstan and the United States. I recently had the honor of meeting with Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov to discuss Kazakhstan and its contributions to the international community when the Prime Minister visited Washington to attend IMF and World Bank meetings.

The Republic of Kazakhstan is an important partner to the United States in Central Asia in many ways and is key to our interests in that region and globally. Led by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan is a reliable partner on the world stage in the areas of energy and regional security, economic development and trade and political and regional stability.

With a population of 18 million people and a size nearly four times that of Texas, Kazakhstan sits at the heart of Central Asia. The country is bordered by Russia and China and is strategically located near Turkey, Iran, India and Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan was the first post-soviet State to lead the 56-country Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) in 2010. As a Member of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and a Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, I have seen Kazakhstan's engagement and commitment firsthand.

Kazakhstan has been a global leader in nuclear non-proliferation for 20 years--an achievement reached soon after its independence in 1991. In 1993, it was the first nation to dismantle its nuclear weapons and secure its nuclear materials under the Nunn-Lugar nuclear nonproliferation program, led by former Senators Sam Nunn (D-GA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN). Since then, it has remained a global leader and U.S. partner in non-proliferation efforts.

Kazakhstan is also an essential partner in assisting the United States in counter terrorism efforts by serving as a supply route and operational partner and supporting the reintegration of Afghanistan into Central Asia, committing millions of dollars. It plays a unique role in fostering and solidifying positive diplomatic relations with regional powers and maintaining economic stability.

The United States and Kazakhstan, among others, strongly support the Modern Day Silk Road initiative, which would revitalize the 2000-year-old Silk Road trading route that connected South and Central Asia to the Mediterranean. The New Silk Road would serve as a critical transportation, communications, trade, energy and cultural bridge between East and West, linking China and India with Europe and supporting the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Kazakhstan is central to its development.

Domestically, Kazakhstan remains the melting pot of Central Asia, given its Kazakh, Russian, Turkish, Mongolian and many other cultural influences. Religious freedom and ethnic tolerance are key principles in its governance, with its diverse mix of people and traditions. In January 2015, Kazakhstan signed an agreement with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to initiate new national reforms for government ministries, the justice system, infrastructure development and green economy initiatives, political reform and human rights and democratic principles through transparency and accountability.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that continuing to increase our relationship with the good people of Kazakhstan is important to our common interests, and I encourage my fellow members to participate in opportunities to travel to the region in order to become better acquainted with the progress that has been made in the country, and to encourage the continued political cooperation while taking advantage of the progress in opening the market to encourage joint investment.

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