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U.S. Department of State Weekly Digest Bulletin Inbox x U.S. Department of State <usstatebpa@public.govdelivery.com> 8:17 AM (4 hours ago)  to me Public Schedule – February 2, 2020 02/01/2020 You are subscribed to Public Schedule for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Public Schedule – February 2, 2020 02/01/2020 08:01 PM EST Office of the Spokesperson ***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*** SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO Secretary Pompeo is on travel to the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan from January 29- February 4, 2020.  Please click here for more information. 9:30 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Pompeo meets with staff and families at U.S. Embassy Nur-Sultan, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT BOTTOM) 11:00 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Pompeo meets with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 11:55 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Pompeo and Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi hold a joint press conference, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (OPEN PRESS COVERAGE) 3:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Pompeo meets with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP) 4:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Pompeo meets with Kazakhstan First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP) 7:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Pompeo meets with Uzbekistan religious leaders on religious freedom, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP) ***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*** Secretary Michael R. Pompeo And Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Secretary's Remarks for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo And Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi 02/02/2020 07:28 AM EST Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan At a Press Availability MR SMADIYAROV: (Via translation) Good day dear media representatives, we will start the press conference. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Beisenuly Tileuberdi and the Secretary of State of the U.S. Michael Pompeo will speak to you. After the speakers give their remarks, you will have the opportunity to ask a few questions on today’s meeting agenda. Due to the visit schedule, Q&A time might be limited. I now give the floor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi. FOREIGN MINISTER TILEUBERDI: (Via translation) Dear ladies and gentlemen, today I am glad to welcome my colleague, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on his first visit to Kazakhstan. It is our third meeting since last September. We met in New-York and Washington in 2019. Kazakhstan and the U.S. have been consistently developing their extended strategic partnership founded on firm and predictable relationships intended to support peaceful development and prosperity. We express our tremendous respect to the United States, which is the current biggest investor to our economy, for showing support to our independence and sovereignty in a systematic way. Currently, our cooperation has the status of the Extended strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the U.S. in the 21 century. This level was achieved according to the results of negotiations that took place in 2018 in Washington between our heads of States, First President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Nur-Sultan and Washington are leading a quality dialogue at different levels and through different format of platforms to develop mutual cooperation in political relations; trade, economy, and investment mutual cooperation; security and fighting international terrorism; disarmament and non-proliferation; human rights and religious freedom, and other areas. One of the great examples of the effective security cooperation between our countries is the Zhusan operation which is the first stage of the long-term reconstruction and reintegration process. Constructive relations between public figures of our countries gave an important impulse to (inaudible) and (inaudible) of trade and investment relations. Our negotiations with Mike Pompeo reconfirmed our intention to effectively develop Kazakhstani-American cooperation. Today, with our American partners, we are discussing the questions of diversification of investment relations between our countries in a spirit of pragmatism. The United States is considered by Kazakhstan a source of investment, new technologies, education, and global level standards. At the end of 2019, one of the leading projects in the non-resource segment of economy, was the American agricultural giant Tyson foods arrival to our country after the visit of Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin. This project will give multiplicative results on the whole agricultural sector and other sectors. IT, scientific research (inaudible) in industrial production, and many other areas have an important potential to further strengthen the mutual economic cooperation. During our meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, we paid attention to expanding the legislative and regulatory framework with new agreements, to further diversifying the economic partnership, and strengthening the interaction with the United States in the regional format. It is important to highlight the open skies agreement among the recent documents signed between Kazakhstan and the U.S. Besides launching direct flights between our countries, it allows us to implement the highest security standards for operational Kazakhstani air companies and airports. We also discussed with our partners Kazakhstan’s economic growth in the context of the U.S. sanctions policy. The U.S. State Department will continue to support Kazakhstan in order to protect our legal entities from the impact of the sanctions. We welcome our cooperation in fighting international terrorism, extremism, and the spread of radical ideology. We will continue our partnership with the U.S. State Department on the rehabilitation and reintegration of citizens returned from Syria and Iraq war zones. Kazakhstan actively supports the regional format of cooperation through the C5+1 dialogue platform. Tomorrow we are planning to hold a C5+1 ministers meeting in Tashkent. (C5+1) will promote attracting investment and technology to the economy of the Central Asian region. It will ensure the improvement of the quality of life in our countries. It will also give an opportunity to effectively export to the neighboring Afghanistan (not very clear). This is one of the priorities that the United States emphasized in its strategy in order to strengthen relations with our region. I think Mike Pompeo will tell you more about this document. Besides our long-term effective cooperation in non-proliferation and disarmament, we also discussed our priorities regarding the international agenda, including Elbasy’s initiative on recovering mutual trust between world powers on the way toward global security, economic development, and prosperity. Thereby, the U.S. Secretary of State visit to Kazakhstan will allow us to confirm our efforts to continue the cooperation in the framework of the extended strategic partnership, and to lay the foundations for its further development in 2020. Michael Pompeo will discuss these and other issues today during his meetings with our President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the First President Nazarbayev. Thank you for your attention. MR SMADIYAROV: (Via translation) Thank you, Minister. Now I turn the floor over the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Minister Tileuberdi. It’s great to see you today, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow in Tashkent. We’ve now had a chance to meet many times, and I think that’s fantastic for the relationship between our two countries. Before I speak to our meeting today, I wanted to say a word or two about the work that the United States is doing to help Kazakhstan in dealing with the coronavirus. As of yesterday early evening, there were 46 potential cases under investigation here in Kazakhstan. Quick action to stop the spread of the virus has been incredibly impressive. The fact that your country shares roughly 1,100 miles, almost 1,800 kilometers, with China was obviously a cause for concern, and so you acted. But the people of Kazakhstan aren’t alone in their vigilance against this tragic outbreak. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a presence in your country here in Kazakhstan. We are helping your Ministry of Health track potential cases, and we’re translating our CDC guidelines into Russian for your government. We are also providing laboratory expertise and materials to ensure testing adheres to international standards and provides correct diagnoses. And through USAID we are providing personal and protective equipment for lab workers and medical professionals here in Kazakhstan. Just as we have gone to great lengths to help Americans afflicted by the virus, so too will we go to great lengths to help our friends here in Kazakhstan deal with it. It’s the right thing to do, and we’ll continue to provide assistance as long as you should need it. To our meeting today. It’s an honor to be here in Nur-Sultan. The Great Steppe reminds me very much of my home state, Kansas, the Great Plains in the United States. As I told the minister, the United States has long been and continues to be a committed friend of the people of Kazakhstan. Just 24 hours after your independence back in 1991, almost 30 years ago, my predecessor, Secretary of State James Baker, traveled here to support your vision for a sovereign, prosperous nation. Since 1993, we have worked closely on nonproliferation and nuclear security together. And more recently, in January of 2018, President Trump welcomed then-President Nazarbayev to the White House. It was a great meeting. I was there. Our conversations today reaffirmed those same commitments about a bright future between our two countries. I look forward to meeting the president and first president later today. We started by discussing the presidential transition that occurred in 2019. President Tokayev has outlined an ambitious reform agenda aimed at strengthening the economic prosperity and democracy and increasing public confidence in the government. The United States welcomes these steps. I also talked about the Trump administration’s forthcoming Central Asia Strategy, which puts your independence and prosperity at the core of our approach. We fully support Kazakhstan’s freedom to choose to do business with whatever county, whichever country, it wants. But I am confident. I am confident that countries get the best outcomes when they partner with American companies. You get fair deals, you get job creation, you get transparency in contracts, you get companies that care about the environment, and you get an unsurpassed commitment to quality work. American companies are naturally incentivized to behave this way. It’s just simply how the American system works. We are pleased to have recently signed an Open Skies Civil Air Transportation Agreement that will create opportunities not just for airlines but for multiple industries in both of our nations. We talked today about the joy of being on a 13-hour air flight between here and New York. In December, Prime Minister Mamin visited Arkansas to sign an agreement with Tyson Foods to collaborate on a new plant here that will support growth of Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector. Additionally, historically great American companies like Chevon and ExxonMobil continue to invest in your country’s oil and gas sector and help your future. They hire Kazakhstanis and take care to protect your beautiful, beautiful country. Partnerships like these are good for all of our people. They are the best way for Kazakhstan to grow, to prosper, to have its own security and have great economic ties not only with the United States but throughout the region. We had the chance, in addition to those topics, to talk about security. I thanked the minister for Kazakhstan’s ongoing support of our efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, and I have and will continue to commend the Kazakhstani Government for its leadership in repatriating foreign terrorist fighters and their families from Iraq and from Syria. I hope this commitment to justice will inspire other nations to do the same. I also want to praise the progress the C5+1 has made in cooperating to address terrorism and radical Islamic extremism. Among other successes, Kazakhstan’s early and frequent leadership within that group has helped make that possible, and I am excited for the meeting tomorrow in Tashkent. Finally, the protection of basic human rights defines the soul of a nation. We discussed trafficking in persons and the plight of the more than one million Uighur Muslims and ethnic Kazakhs who the Chinese Communist Party has detained in Xinjiang just across the Kazakh border. The United States urges all countries to join us in pressing for an immediate end to this repression. We ask simply for them to provide safe refuge and asylum to those seeking to flee China; protect human dignity; just do what’s right. Once again, thank you so much for our time together, Mr. Minister, for welcoming to your great country. I look forward to coming back here soon. Thank you all so very much. MR SMADIYAROV: (Via translation) Thank you, Secretary. Now we will start our Q&A session. QUESTION: (Via translation) What are the Prospects of economic cooperation between U.S. and Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: I don’t have the sound. There you go. FOREIGN MINISTER TILEUBERDI: (Via translation) Thank you for your question. We are indeed at a new stage of our bilateral relations. We talk about extended strategic partnership that outlines our mutually beneficial partnership at the global, regional, and bilateral scale. As you know, last year, the work on attraction of foreign investments in the non-resource sector of economy was forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We currently pointedly work with our American partners, as I informed earlier, our prime minister visited the United States with a working visit in December, where an agreement has been achieved on the investment and launch of a common project with the biggest agricultural company Tyson Foods. The location for the factory has been already identified. It is not going to be only one factory. An entire ecosystem will be constructed to develop livestock production in Kazakhstan. It is a first good signal. If American companies previously actively invested in energy sector, now we open new areas such as agriculture, digitalization, and new technologies. Thank you. SECRETARY POMPEO: May I just add I agree that the opportunity is simply enormous. We’ve had long investments in the energy sector. That’s important. We’ll continue to do that. But we were talking about other places, and there were more than a dozen companies that are working on projects here. We were talking about a set of projects and rules that allow companies to come here that will provide them with what Western companies need – fundamental rule of law, basic protections for transparency in contracts. The sky is the limit with respect to the things that we can do together to work between our two countries. The American risk-taking entrepreneurs will love the hardworking, capable, talented people here in Kazakhstan to be part of their teams, and we will do good things for American business and for the people of Kazakhstan when we get all of these opportunities brought to fruition. There are many projects in the pipeline, and I look forward to being able to come back here not too terribly far in the future and announce major gains for American investment right here in Kazakhstan. Thank you. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo And Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo And Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi 02/02/2020 07:28 AM EST Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan At a Press Availability MR SMADIYAROV: (Via translation) Good day dear media representatives, we will start the press conference. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Beisenuly Tileuberdi and the Secretary of State of the U.S. Michael Pompeo will speak to you. After the speakers give their remarks, you will have the opportunity to ask a few questions on today’s meeting agenda. Due to the visit schedule, Q&A time might be limited. I now give the floor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi. FOREIGN MINISTER TILEUBERDI: (Via translation) Dear ladies and gentlemen, today I am glad to welcome my colleague, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on his first visit to Kazakhstan. It is our third meeting since last September. We met in New-York and Washington in 2019. Kazakhstan and the U.S. have been consistently developing their extended strategic partnership founded on firm and predictable relationships intended to support peaceful development and prosperity. We express our tremendous respect to the United States, which is the current biggest investor to our economy, for showing support to our independence and sovereignty in a systematic way. Currently, our cooperation has the status of the Extended strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the U.S. in the 21 century. This level was achieved according to the results of negotiations that took place in 2018 in Washington between our heads of States, First President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Nur-Sultan and Washington are leading a quality dialogue at different levels and through different format of platforms to develop mutual cooperation in political relations; trade, economy, and investment mutual cooperation; security and fighting international terrorism; disarmament and non-proliferation; human rights and religious freedom, and other areas. One of the great examples of the effective security cooperation between our countries is the Zhusan operation which is the first stage of the long-term reconstruction and reintegration process. Constructive relations between public figures of our countries gave an important impulse to (inaudible) and (inaudible) of trade and investment relations. Our negotiations with Mike Pompeo reconfirmed our intention to effectively develop Kazakhstani-American cooperation. Today, with our American partners, we are discussing the questions of diversification of investment relations between our countries in a spirit of pragmatism. The United States is considered by Kazakhstan a source of investment, new technologies, education, and global level standards. At the end of 2019, one of the leading projects in the non-resource segment of economy, was the American agricultural giant Tyson foods arrival to our country after the visit of Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin. This project will give multiplicative results on the whole agricultural sector and other sectors. IT, scientific research (inaudible) in industrial production, and many other areas have an important potential to further strengthen the mutual economic cooperation. During our meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, we paid attention to expanding the legislative and regulatory framework with new agreements, to further diversifying the economic partnership, and strengthening the interaction with the United States in the regional format. It is important to highlight the open skies agreement among the recent documents signed between Kazakhstan and the U.S. Besides launching direct flights between our countries, it allows us to implement the highest security standards for operational Kazakhstani air companies and airports. We also discussed with our partners Kazakhstan’s economic growth in the context of the U.S. sanctions policy. The U.S. State Department will continue to support Kazakhstan in order to protect our legal entities from the impact of the sanctions. We welcome our cooperation in fighting international terrorism, extremism, and the spread of radical ideology. We will continue our partnership with the U.S. State Department on the rehabilitation and reintegration of citizens returned from Syria and Iraq war zones. Kazakhstan actively supports the regional format of cooperation through the C5+1 dialogue platform. Tomorrow we are planning to hold a C5+1 ministers meeting in Tashkent. (C5+1) will promote attracting investment and technology to the economy of the Central Asian region. It will ensure the improvement of the quality of life in our countries. It will also give an opportunity to effectively export to the neighboring Afghanistan (not very clear). This is one of the priorities that the United States emphasized in its strategy in order to strengthen relations with our region. I think Mike Pompeo will tell you more about this document. Besides our long-term effective cooperation in non-proliferation and disarmament, we also discussed our priorities regarding the international agenda, including Elbasy’s initiative on recovering mutual trust between world powers on the way toward global security, economic development, and prosperity. Thereby, the U.S. Secretary of State visit to Kazakhstan will allow us to confirm our efforts to continue the cooperation in the framework of the extended strategic partnership, and to lay the foundations for its further development in 2020. Michael Pompeo will discuss these and other issues today during his meetings with our President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the First President Nazarbayev. Thank you for your attention. MR SMADIYAROV: (Via translation) Thank you, Minister. Now I turn the floor over the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Minister Tileuberdi. It’s great to see you today, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow in Tashkent. We’ve now had a chance to meet many times, and I think that’s fantastic for the relationship between our two countries. Before I speak to our meeting today, I wanted to say a word or two about the work that the United States is doing to help Kazakhstan in dealing with the coronavirus. As of yesterday early evening, there were 46 potential cases under investigation here in Kazakhstan. Quick action to stop the spread of the virus has been incredibly impressive. The fact that your country shares roughly 1,100 miles, almost 1,800 kilometers, with China was obviously a cause for concern, and so you acted. But the people of Kazakhstan aren’t alone in their vigilance against this tragic outbreak. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a presence in your country here in Kazakhstan. We are helping your Ministry of Health track potential cases, and we’re translating our CDC guidelines into Russian for your government. We are also providing laboratory expertise and materials to ensure testing adheres to international standards and provides correct diagnoses. And through USAID we are providing personal and protective equipment for lab workers and medical professionals here in Kazakhstan. Just as we have gone to great lengths to help Americans afflicted by the virus, so too will we go to great lengths to help our friends here in Kazakhstan deal with it. It’s the right thing to do, and we’ll continue to provide assistance as long as you should need it. To our meeting today. It’s an honor to be here in Nur-Sultan. The Great Steppe reminds me very much of my home state, Kansas, the Great Plains in the United States. As I told the minister, the United States has long been and continues to be a committed friend of the people of Kazakhstan. Just 24 hours after your independence back in 1991, almost 30 years ago, my predecessor, Secretary of State James Baker, traveled here to support your vision for a sovereign, prosperous nation. Since 1993, we have worked closely on nonproliferation and nuclear security together. And more recently, in January of 2018, President Trump welcomed then-President Nazarbayev to the White House. It was a great meeting. I was there. Our conversations today reaffirmed those same commitments about a bright future between our two countries. I look forward to meeting the president and first president later today. We started by discussing the presidential transition that occurred in 2019. President Tokayev has outlined an ambitious reform agenda aimed at strengthening the economic prosperity and democracy and increasing public confidence in the government. The United States welcomes these steps. I also talked about the Trump administration’s forthcoming Central Asia Strategy, which puts your independence and prosperity at the core of our approach. We fully support Kazakhstan’s freedom to choose to do business with whatever county, whichever country, it wants. But I am confident. I am confident that countries get the best outcomes when they partner with American companies. You get fair deals, you get job creation, you get transparency in contracts, you get companies that care about the environment, and you get an unsurpassed commitment to quality work. American companies are naturally incentivized to behave this way. It’s just simply how the American system works. We are pleased to have recently signed an Open Skies Civil Air Transportation Agreement that will create opportunities not just for airlines but for multiple industries in both of our nations. We talked today about the joy of being on a 13-hour air flight between here and New York. In December, Prime Minister Mamin visited Arkansas to sign an agreement with Tyson Foods to collaborate on a new plant here that will support growth of Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector. Additionally, historically great American companies like Chevon and ExxonMobil continue to invest in your country’s oil and gas sector and help your future. They hire Kazakhstanis and take care to protect your beautiful, beautiful country. Partnerships like these are good for all of our people. They are the best way for Kazakhstan to grow, to prosper, to have its own security and have great economic ties not only with the United States but throughout the region. We had the chance, in addition to those topics, to talk about security. I thanked the minister for Kazakhstan’s ongoing support of our efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, and I have and will continue to commend the Kazakhstani Government for its leadership in repatriating foreign terrorist fighters and their families from Iraq and from Syria. I hope this commitment to justice will inspire other nations to do the same. I also want to praise the progress the C5+1 has made in cooperating to address terrorism and radical Islamic extremism. Among other successes, Kazakhstan’s early and frequent leadership within that group has helped make that possible, and I am excited for the meeting tomorrow in Tashkent. Finally, the protection of basic human rights defines the soul of a nation. We discussed trafficking in persons and the plight of the more than one million Uighur Muslims and ethnic Kazakhs who the Chinese Communist Party has detained in Xinjiang just across the Kazakh border. The United States urges all countries to join us in pressing for an immediate end to this repression. We ask simply for them to provide safe refuge and asylum to those seeking to flee China; protect human dignity; just do what’s right. Once again, thank you so much for our time together, Mr. Minister, for welcoming to your great country. I look forward to coming back here soon. Thank you all so very much. MR SMADIYAROV: (Via translation) Thank you, Secretary. Now we will start our Q&A session. QUESTION: (Via translation) What are the Prospects of economic cooperation between U.S. and Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: I don’t have the sound. There you go. FOREIGN MINISTER TILEUBERDI: (Via translation) Thank you for your question. We are indeed at a new stage of our bilateral relations. We talk about extended strategic partnership that outlines our mutually beneficial partnership at the global, regional, and bilateral scale. As you know, last year, the work on attraction of foreign investments in the non-resource sector of economy was forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We currently pointedly work with our American partners, as I informed earlier, our prime minister visited the United States with a working visit in December, where an agreement has been achieved on the investment and launch of a common project with the biggest agricultural company Tyson Foods. The location for the factory has been already identified. It is not going to be only one factory. An entire ecosystem will be constructed to develop livestock production in Kazakhstan. It is a first good signal. If American companies previously actively invested in energy sector, now we open new areas such as agriculture, digitalization, and new technologies. Thank you. SECRETARY POMPEO: May I just add I agree that the opportunity is simply enormous. We’ve had long investments in the energy sector. That’s important. We’ll continue to do that. But we were talking about other places, and there were more than a dozen companies that are working on projects here. We were talking about a set of projects and rules that allow companies to come here that will provide them with what Western companies need – fundamental rule of law, basic protections for transparency in contracts. The sky is the limit with respect to the things that we can do together to work between our two countries. The American risk-taking entrepreneurs will love the hardworking, capable, talented people here in Kazakhstan to be part of their teams, and we will do good things for American business and for the people of Kazakhstan when we get all of these opportunities brought to fruition. There are many projects in the pipeline, and I look forward to being able to come back here not too terribly far in the future and announce major gains for American investment right here in Kazakhstan. Thank you. Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Kazakhstani First President Nazarbayev 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Kazakhstani First President Nazarbayev 02/02/2020 08:53 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson The below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:‎ Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Kazakhstani First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Secretary Pompeo discussed a range of global and regional issues with Kazakhstan’s elder statesman and praised the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship begun under Nazarbayev’s leadership. The Secretary commended Nazarbayev’s legacy of principled leadership on nuclear non-proliferation, highlighting the positive model set by Kazakhstan’s repatriation of its citizens from Syria and Iraq. Secretary Pompeo encouraged Kazakhstan’s continued reforms in support of civil society and fundamental freedoms. Secretary Pompeo’s Visit to Uzbekistan 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Pompeo’s Visit to Uzbekistan 02/02/2020 09:45 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson Secretary Pompeo will travel to Uzbekistan on February 2-3, where he will meet President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov to reaffirm U.S. support for Uzbekistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as its political, economic, and human rights reforms. THE UNITED STATES AND UZBEKISTAN COOPERATE TO PROMOTE REGIONAL ECONOMIC CONNECTIVITY AND SECURITY President Mirziyoyev’s visit to the White House in 2018 marked the beginning of a new era of strategic partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan’s emerging role as a regional leader. The United States was among the first nations to recognize Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991, and since 2018 our cooperation has significantly deepened in all sectors. The United States and Uzbekistan work closely together to promote connectivity among the Central Asian states, including Afghanistan. President Mirziyoyev’s “Neighbors First Policy” has contributed substantially to increased regional cooperation and trade. In November 2019, Uzbekistan hosted the second-ever consultative meeting of all Central Asian leaders and agreed to develop closer regional cooperation in a wide range of fields, including energy and trade. Uzbekistan has been a strong supporter of the United States-led C5+1 initiative. While in Tashkent, Secretary Pompeo will participate in a ministerial meeting with the C5 Foreign Ministers. The United States and Uzbekistan cooperate closely to maintain security along the border with Afghanistan and prevent the movement of foreign terrorist fighters, narcotics traffickers and other criminal elements, while promoting the legitimate flow of people and goods. The United States dedicated $2.2 million to these efforts in Fiscal Year 2018. Uzbekistan is a strong partner in ongoing U.S. efforts to support regional peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. President Mirziyoyev has demonstrated strong support for Afghanistan’s political and economic reintegration into the region. In December 2019, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan committed to trilateral efforts to re-integrate Afghanistan with its Central Asian neighbors during the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, a regional grouping launched in 2011 to foster dialogue between Afghanistan and its neighbors. OUR BILATERAL ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP IS GROWING U.S. trade with Uzbekistan increased by two-thirds last year, from $315 million in 2018 to $514 million in 2019. Through November 2019, U.S. exports to Uzbekistan jumped to $482 million, making Uzbekistan a leading export destination for U.S. goods in Central Asia. Thirteen U.S. companies participated in a U.S. Department of Commerce Certified Trade Mission to Uzbekistan in June 2019, during which U.S. companies were introduced to opportunities in key sectors, potential local business partners and buyers, and industry and government officials. U.S. companies are making major investments in Uzbekistan, exceeding $1 billon. During President Mirziyoyev’s White House visit in 2018, Uzbekistan signed more than 20 business deals with leading U.S. companies, which, if fully implemented, will amount to more than $4.8 billion in value. These planned investments are commercially viable projects that will create thousands of jobs in both the United States and Uzbekistan. Continuing progress on privatization, regulatory reform, rule of law, and accession to the World Trade Organization will make Uzbekistan even more attractive for U.S. investors, creating jobs and other economic opportunities in both nations. The United States has provided the Uzbek Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade with technical advice on the WTO accession process. EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND EXCHANGES STRENGTHEN PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES To support key Uzbek reforms, the United States is providing significant assistance to promote the development of capital markets, improve budgeting processes and the taxation system, and to strengthen the rule of law, with a particular focus on strengthening judicial independence, reforming the criminal code, and enhancing the legal education and capacity of defense attorneys. The United States has dedicated more than $30 million to improve the quality of education nationwide, provide English language instruction, and promote innovative university partnerships. Almost $10 million of this additional funding is for English language instruction, in support of Uzbekistan’s “English Speaking Nation” initiative. Over the past two years, more than 300 Uzbekistani students, teachers, and professionals have participated in U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs in the United States. Through alumni initiatives, more than 4,600 U.S. exchange alumni in Uzbekistan promote shared goals such as business development and economic opportunity, civic participation, and empowerment of girls and women. In 2018, the United States established the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), a network of more than 70 Central Asian universities that promotes sustainable collaboration between U.S. and Uzbek universities through training, networking opportunities, and grant partnerships. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells Remarks to Traveling Press 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells Remarks to Traveling Press 02/02/2020 10:04 AM EST Alice G. Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant SecretaryBureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan St Regis MS ORTAGUS: Okay. Christina and then Kyra. QUESTION: In the meeting today, did you talk about the number of foreign fighters that Kazakhstan has taken back from Iraq and Syria, whether they expect that number to – it’s a pretty big number, right? They’re one of the leaders – whether they are happy with the U.S. level of support for what they’re doing and if there are any concrete steps to address the ISIS brides and women and children in camps like Al-Roj. MS WELLS: The Secretary congratulated and thanked the Government of Kazakhstan for their very forward-learning posture in bringing back around 600 foreign terrorist fighters, spouses, and children. And the United States has provided technical assistance, psychologists who specialize in deradicalization and some of the psychosocial issues that you could expect to arise, particularly among children who have been exposed to such a heinous environment. The Kazakhstanis have been very appreciative of our support. We discussed how we can better let the lessons be learned from the Kazakhstani experience. They recently hosted a meeting that brought other interested nations together. We talked about potentially forming a center of excellence to try to distill some of the practices. Obviously, this is – we’re learning lessons as we go, and as Kazakhstan deals with the first, second, and third-order effects of these returnees, this is information we want to get out. QUESTION: Did they ask for money or more support from the U.S.? MS WELLS: No, I think they continue – I mean, they would like to continue to receive the kind of professional exchanges and dialogue and sort of networking that we’re helping to provide. MS ORTAGUS: Okay, Kyra. QUESTION: Yeah, just to follow up on that, I think that was the question we all were very interested in. And you talk about the lessons you’re learning along the way. How risky is this? Do you see this as a risk? How are you handling that part of it? I mean, this is no easy situation. MS WELLS: No, absolutely, it’s not. And that’s why, again, I think we have to step back and really appreciate what Kazakhstan has taken up. I mean, the allegiance that Kazakhstan has to its citizens and the obligation that Kazakhstan feels to settle this issue and to resolve the ideological threat potentially posed by its citizens is quite brave. We wish more of our partners and allies had the same stance towards bringing back their citizens from either Syria or Iraq. So I think this is very much going to be a learn-as-you-go. Everybody wants to take a conservative posture. I think we can be grateful that Kazakhstan has the resources and the government structure and the commitment to methodically deal with this challenge. And so we benefit as much or more from what Kazakhstan has undertaken. MS ORTAGUS: Matt, did you have a China question? QUESTION: Yes. So everywhere the Secretary has been, and I presume you as well, have been a discussion about the perils and the dangers of Chinese investment, the structure of loans and that kind of thing. And I’m just wondering if here in Kazakhstan, given the proximity to China, if that isn’t more of a – is it more of a problem or more of a danger? Or even if it isn’t, what was your message to them? MS WELLS: Right. This really came up in the context of our discussion of commercial issues writ large. I mean, we certainly believe that American companies have much to offer Kazakhstan and since Kazakhstan’s very beginning have played an extraordinary role in the development of Kazakhstan’s economy through the massive investments in the oil and gas sector. And what we’ve learned from Chevron and Shell and ExxonMobil is that Western firms bring transparency, they bring development and technology transfer. Over 95 percent of workers in those categories are Kazakhstani. There’s been a real commitment to lifting Kazakhstan’s capabilities up through this investment process. That can’t be said of all foreign investors. Now, I think if you look at the region, Kazakhstan, because it has more resources, has been much more of a partner in the infrastructure projects that are being developed here. And we – the Secretary was briefed by the head of the Astana International Financial Center from the projects and the infrastructure programs that Kazakhstan is working sometimes in joint venture with the Chinese but often on their own. And unlike neighboring countries, I think China is the seventh largest foreign direct investor here. So the same kinds of issues that have emerged in neighboring countries have not been as prevalent in Kazakhstan, but certainly the lesson that we would want to emphasize is go with the investor that’s committed to a partnership that benefits those people. QUESTION: Did any of these – did anyone – oh, sorry. I was just following up. QUESTION: I just – if you could characterize at all how the discussions went regarding the Uighur issues and re-education camps in China, if that came up. And obviously, that’s an issue that affects Kazakhs as well, but how – what happened on this trip on that issue? MS WELLS: Right. The Secretary had, I think, a very moving meeting with ethnic Kazakhs who either have family members who are – have been interned in China or who themselves have left China and have brought the stories with them. And it was devastating to hear the personal loss and the deprivation of liberty and the abuse of these individuals, quite moving. And the Secretary obviously discussed the dimensions of the challenge faced by China’s internment of upwards of a million citizens. I think what we’ve seen in Kazakhstan is we’ve been grateful for the fact that there are nongovernmental organizations operating here who have been able to help provide you, the international community, with facts about what’s taking place next door. I know that Kazakhstan itself cares deeply about the status of ethnic Kazakhs and has its own program of providing visas and support for ethnic Kazakhs who make their way here. But this is not a Kazakhstan problem; it’s a global challenge that we face in really bringing to light this massive violation of human rights that we all have to call the Chinese on. MS ORTAGUS: Anybody else? One? QUESTION: Did any one of those issues dominate the conversations today? Was there something the Kazakhs really wanted to focus on? Was there something the U.S. really wanted to focus on? MS WELLS: It was really broad ranging, everything from either visas to Afghanistan and in between, and it reflects what is a very mature partnership that we have with the Government of Kazakhstan. We have an Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue which I think over the last year resulted – I think the foreign minister joked – in almost every cabinet member of Kazakhstan making their way to the United States on one kind of trip or factfinding mission or the other. And so we’re very pleased to grow out this relationship. The Secretary will be meeting with both President Tokayev and First President Nazarbayev, and the sort of continuity and stability that we’ve seen in Kazakhstan’s policies have really translated into a deepening and growing strategic relationship. MS ORTAGUS: Okay. Thanks, Alice. QUESTION: Thank you very much. Appreciate it. QUESTION: Thank you so much. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Aigerim Toleukhanova of Radio Azattyq 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Secretary's Remarks for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Aigerim Toleukhanova of Radio Azattyq 02/02/2020 10:18 AM EST Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan The St. Regis Astana QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you for visiting Kazakhstan. Let’s start with the first question: Xinjiang. The U.S. Government has banned a number of companies and officials tied to abuses in there. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan and other countries whose very ethnic minorities are trapped in Xinjiang say that these are internal issues of China. Are you concerned with that? How – what are you telling President Tokayev about problems in Xinjiang? SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, thanks for having me on your show today. I appreciate that. The United States has been very clear: Wherever we go, we ask for every human being to be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. As for what’s taking place in Xinjiang, we’ve made clear to both the Chinese Government and in my visit today we’ve made clear to the government here in Kazakhstan our expectation that everyone will be treated properly and appropriately, and that what’s taking place there is certainly not that. And so the Kazakhstani Government has done good work; it hasn’t repatriated people back to China that the Chinese Government had asked them to, and we’re happy about that. But we know this is a problem that’s got to be taken care of. These basic, fundamental human rights are important. QUESTION: Kazakhstan had its first election since Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped aside last year. Thousands were detained during and after those elections. Human rights organizations clearly criticize Kazakhstan’s record. What is the U.S. commitment towards improving human rights in Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: Just as I said before, we’re committed to that everywhere and always, all around the world. We talk about that. We’ve seen real improvement here in Kazakhstan. We’ve seen the new government make real changes. It has the prospect of real reforms. You can see that. You can see that when more American businesses come. They come as a result of the fact that the conditions here are improving, that real reforms are being made. It’s very obvious: American companies won’t come be part of countries that don’t have the rule of law, respect for people, all the things that countries that respect human rights do. And so as we see American businesses make decisions to come here, you can actually see and I think the Kazakhstani people can see that there is a real transformation underway. The Kazakhstani people must demand it, they must require it, and they need to continue to talk about it. We hope these improvements will continue. QUESTION: But what exactly are you planning to do in terms of improving human rights in Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I’m here today and we’re working on it. In the end, every nation has to get this right for itself. The people of the country have to work towards this end. We’ll do our part. We’ll provide technical assistance. We’ve got many programs here. As a journalist, I’m sure you know the good work the State Department does to train journalists in press freedoms – all of those things that build out civil society inside of countries are things we’re deeply committed to. We’re here, we’re here to help, and we’ll continue to do that. QUESTION: Okay, let’s turn to the question about rights and press freedom. Last year RFE-RL journalists were physically attacked while doing their jobs, multiple times, and authorities have made no progress to try to find those responsible. Before you departed to this trip you had a confrontational interview with a National Public Radio reporter, and after that trip your department removed another NPR reporter from the press pool. Did you retaliate against NPR? What kind of message does it send to countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, whose governments routinely suppress press freedom? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I didn’t have a confrontational interview with an NPR reporter any more than I have confrontational interviews all the time. In America that’s the greatness of our nation: Reporters like yourself get to ask me any question and all questions. We take hundreds and hundreds of questions. We talk openly. We express our view; they ask their questions. That’s how we proceed in America. And with respect to who travels with me, I always bring a big press contingent, but we ask for certain sets of behaviors, and that’s simply telling the truth and being honest. And when they’ll do that, they get to participate, and if they don’t, it’s just not appropriate – frankly, it’s not fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside of them. QUESTION: But what kind of message will it send? SECRETARY POMPEO: It sends a message – it’s a perfect message. It’s a perfect message about press freedoms. They’re free to ask questions. There were – there’s a reporter from that very business who was at a press conference just yesterday. It’s wide open in America. I love it. I hope the rest of the world will follow our press freedoms and the great things we do in the United States. QUESTION: Okay. And the last question I have about U.S. priorities in Central Asia. SECRETARY POMPEO: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: What are the current priorities in Central Asia? Is it peace and cooperation in Afghanistan or is it religious radicalism or something else? SECRETARY POMPEO: So it’s all of those. It’s – or each of those too, but there’s so much more than that. We want Central Asia to prosper. We want each of the nations in Central Asia to be independent and sovereign, not – not a supplicant or a vassal state of any other country in the region. We want them to develop a unique culture that is all their own and their nations to be independent and have the capability to deliver good outcomes for all of their people. And so we work alongside of them to achieve that. We provide true American resources to do that, and we’ll continue to be here. QUESTION: And the last question about C5+1 platform. What is the future of this platform under current administration? SECRETARY POMPEO: So I think it’s already proven that it’s important. We appreciate Kazakhstan’s central role in making that successful. We’ll gather tomorrow and we’ll talk about a range of issues, many of the same ones we’ve already discussed. We’ll talk about security matters for sure, but we’ll talk about economic integration amongst those countries, and we’ll talk about how each of those nations can transform their own countries so that the conditions – conditions for better human rights, conditions for better economic conditions, conditions for more political freedoms – can all be achieved together. QUESTION: And one more question I forgot to ask: In your December press statement, you said that human rights will be actually one of the topics of discussions with the Kazakhstan political elite. Can you share some of the details that you’ve talked about on human rights in Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I never talk about actual conversations that are had, but as I said when we held a press conference earlier today, we certainly talked about all of the human rights conditions not only here in Kazakhstan but in the region, and we made sure – made clear to them that America is here to help make sure that that transformation continues. QUESTION: Okay. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you very much. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Aigerim Toleukhanova of Radio Azattyq 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Aigerim Toleukhanova of Radio Azattyq 02/02/2020 10:18 AM EST Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan The St. Regis Astana QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you for visiting Kazakhstan. Let’s start with the first question: Xinjiang. The U.S. Government has banned a number of companies and officials tied to abuses in there. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan and other countries whose very ethnic minorities are trapped in Xinjiang say that these are internal issues of China. Are you concerned with that? How – what are you telling President Tokayev about problems in Xinjiang? SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, thanks for having me on your show today. I appreciate that. The United States has been very clear: Wherever we go, we ask for every human being to be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. As for what’s taking place in Xinjiang, we’ve made clear to both the Chinese Government and in my visit today we’ve made clear to the government here in Kazakhstan our expectation that everyone will be treated properly and appropriately, and that what’s taking place there is certainly not that. And so the Kazakhstani Government has done good work; it hasn’t repatriated people back to China that the Chinese Government had asked them to, and we’re happy about that. But we know this is a problem that’s got to be taken care of. These basic, fundamental human rights are important. QUESTION: Kazakhstan had its first election since Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped aside last year. Thousands were detained during and after those elections. Human rights organizations clearly criticize Kazakhstan’s record. What is the U.S. commitment towards improving human rights in Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: Just as I said before, we’re committed to that everywhere and always, all around the world. We talk about that. We’ve seen real improvement here in Kazakhstan. We’ve seen the new government make real changes. It has the prospect of real reforms. You can see that. You can see that when more American businesses come. They come as a result of the fact that the conditions here are improving, that real reforms are being made. It’s very obvious: American companies won’t come be part of countries that don’t have the rule of law, respect for people, all the things that countries that respect human rights do. And so as we see American businesses make decisions to come here, you can actually see and I think the Kazakhstani people can see that there is a real transformation underway. The Kazakhstani people must demand it, they must require it, and they need to continue to talk about it. We hope these improvements will continue. QUESTION: But what exactly are you planning to do in terms of improving human rights in Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I’m here today and we’re working on it. In the end, every nation has to get this right for itself. The people of the country have to work towards this end. We’ll do our part. We’ll provide technical assistance. We’ve got many programs here. As a journalist, I’m sure you know the good work the State Department does to train journalists in press freedoms – all of those things that build out civil society inside of countries are things we’re deeply committed to. We’re here, we’re here to help, and we’ll continue to do that. QUESTION: Okay, let’s turn to the question about rights and press freedom. Last year RFE-RL journalists were physically attacked while doing their jobs, multiple times, and authorities have made no progress to try to find those responsible. Before you departed to this trip you had a confrontational interview with a National Public Radio reporter, and after that trip your department removed another NPR reporter from the press pool. Did you retaliate against NPR? What kind of message does it send to countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, whose governments routinely suppress press freedom? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I didn’t have a confrontational interview with an NPR reporter any more than I have confrontational interviews all the time. In America that’s the greatness of our nation: Reporters like yourself get to ask me any question and all questions. We take hundreds and hundreds of questions. We talk openly. We express our view; they ask their questions. That’s how we proceed in America. And with respect to who travels with me, I always bring a big press contingent, but we ask for certain sets of behaviors, and that’s simply telling the truth and being honest. And when they’ll do that, they get to participate, and if they don’t, it’s just not appropriate – frankly, it’s not fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside of them. QUESTION: But what kind of message will it send? SECRETARY POMPEO: It sends a message – it’s a perfect message. It’s a perfect message about press freedoms. They’re free to ask questions. There were – there’s a reporter from that very business who was at a press conference just yesterday. It’s wide open in America. I love it. I hope the rest of the world will follow our press freedoms and the great things we do in the United States. QUESTION: Okay. And the last question I have about U.S. priorities in Central Asia. SECRETARY POMPEO: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: What are the current priorities in Central Asia? Is it peace and cooperation in Afghanistan or is it religious radicalism or something else? SECRETARY POMPEO: So it’s all of those. It’s – or each of those too, but there’s so much more than that. We want Central Asia to prosper. We want each of the nations in Central Asia to be independent and sovereign, not – not a supplicant or a vassal state of any other country in the region. We want them to develop a unique culture that is all their own and their nations to be independent and have the capability to deliver good outcomes for all of their people. And so we work alongside of them to achieve that. We provide true American resources to do that, and we’ll continue to be here. QUESTION: And the last question about C5+1 platform. What is the future of this platform under current administration? SECRETARY POMPEO: So I think it’s already proven that it’s important. We appreciate Kazakhstan’s central role in making that successful. We’ll gather tomorrow and we’ll talk about a range of issues, many of the same ones we’ve already discussed. We’ll talk about security matters for sure, but we’ll talk about economic integration amongst those countries, and we’ll talk about how each of those nations can transform their own countries so that the conditions – conditions for better human rights, conditions for better economic conditions, conditions for more political freedoms – can all be achieved together. QUESTION: And one more question I forgot to ask: In your December press statement, you said that human rights will be actually one of the topics of discussions with the Kazakhstan political elite. Can you share some of the details that you’ve talked about on human rights in Kazakhstan? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I never talk about actual conversations that are had, but as I said when we held a press conference earlier today, we certainly talked about all of the human rights conditions not only here in Kazakhstan but in the region, and we made sure – made clear to them that America is here to help make sure that that transformation continues. QUESTION: Okay. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you very much. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Lyazzat Shatayeva of Khabar 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Secretary's Remarks for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Lyazzat Shatayeva of Khabar 02/02/2020 10:36 AM EST Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, this is your first visit to Kazakhstan. Welcome. SECRETARY POMPEO: Great. It’s great to be here. QUESTION: You met with your counterpart, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, and then you’re going to meet Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as well as the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. What do you see as the biggest outcomes of these meetings and the visit? SECRETARY POMPEO: It’s great to be here, and thanks for having me on. An important relationship between the United States and Kazakhstan – so many good things happening between our countries. On the security front, we’re close partners. The Kazakhstanis lead here – right here in the heart, the crossroads between Europe and Asia, do such good things, and then there’s enormous economic opportunity between our two countries. We’re delivering on that not only here with energy, but in agriculture, in IT, digital transformation – all good things that are happening between our two peoples that will create jobs and opportunity right here in Kazakhstan. It’s a very exciting time. QUESTION: I’m glad to hear that. Well, it’s actually also – all the things that are happening – happening between the United States and Kazakhstan, like the 10-year nonimmigrant visas, like the signing of the air transport agreement that has allowed and established in modern air aviation, civil aviation partnership between the two countries, these are all signals to a mature partnership between the two countries. How important is Kazakhstan in the U.S. strategy, larger strategy in regard to Eurasia? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I think you got it right: These are important signals. These are the kinds of great things that happen when you have good leadership who’s ready to transform and do the right things to take care of their own people. You talked about a handful of them: the open skies agreement and some of the economic – just signed a deal with Tyson Foods to help with agriculture here, create lots of jobs for people, good jobs. I – so I was driving around today. I saw this beautiful place, this beautiful town. All kinds of good things are happening. Kazakhstan is important to the United States. It’s a leader of the C5 nations. We’ll be down in Tashkent tomorrow to have a meeting of the group, and I know that the Kazakhstanis will be real leaders in developing good things not only for the people here, but for people throughout the region as well. QUESTION: You just mentioned the investments, the United States investments in Kazakhstan, and the United States is one of the largest foreign direct investor incomes with massive amounts of investment in oil and gas. Now we see a more diverse range of interests among the American investments in the Kazakh market. Is it so? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, it’s absolutely true, and it’s important because what you’ll see is – and I think the – I think people here know this: When American companies show up, we’re good neighbors. We come, we hire people from the local towns and villages and cities, we don’t pollute, we care about the environment, we treat people the right way. It’s just how American companies operate. It’s in our nature. It’s in our DNA. It’s a good thing. It’s – there are other countries when they come and make investments, don’t behave that way; they behave in ways that, frankly, isn’t very good for the local population. That’s not who we are as Americans, and this partnership, these economic opportunities are fantastic – fantastic certainly for the companies that come here because they want to come here and grow and thrive their business, but for the local people here as well. QUESTION: Now, the U.S. President Donald Trump has welcomed the change of leadership in Kazakhstan last year. How has the relationship evolved since then, since the change of the government? SECRETARY POMPEO: It’s been a continuation of good things that have been going on for a couple, three years now. I’m looking forward to meeting both of the presidents today. We’ll get a chance to talk about a wide range of issues, certainly issues between our two countries, but issues around the region as well. We know that there are security issues here. We’re prepared to help in every way we can with them. A good example is what’s going on with the coronavirus. The United States is here helping Kazakhstan deal with this problem. You’ve got a long border with China which is where this disease has emanated from. And we’ve got our people from the Center for Disease Control right here on the ground, helping Kazakhstan deal with this so that you don’t have an enormous outbreak. We’re here, we’re ready with equipment and expertise to help you and your country deal with it. This is what good friends and good partners do for each other. QUESTION: While the economic relations between the – between Kazakhstan and the United States are thriving, Kazakhstan also seeks warm relations with its neighbors, large trade partners like Russia. Both Kazakhstan and Russia are part of the Eurasian Economic Union, and of course the – Kazakhstan’s economy feels the shockwaves of the Western sanctions on Russia. What do you think would be the type of cooperation, economic cooperation with Kazakhstan that could allow Kazakhstan to thrive economically amid the strained U.S.-Russia relations? SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, we have done our best on both fronts there. We’ve done our best to make sure that Kazakhstan wasn’t impacted by those sanctions by granting opportunities and licenses and the kind of things that permit Kazakhstan to still be successful in spite of those sanctions. And then second, we’ve tried to find ways to work with Russia. But you know this: In this neighborhood, the Russians committed acts of aggression against Crimea and southeast Ukraine. These are the kind of things that I know Kazakhstan doesn’t want Russia to be rewarded for. And so the United States will continue to do that. We want good security partners throughout this region. I came from Ukraine to Belarus and now here. These are the kinds of things that America can do to help each of those countries be successful, to create independent, strong, sovereign countries. It’s what we want for Kazakhstan; it’s what we want for every country in this region. QUESTION: Speaking of security, you will be attending the C5+1 meeting that you just mentioned in Tashkent, and one of the reasons why this platform exists is for the countries to cooperate in ensuring security in Central Asia, which is often challenged by the Afghan conflict. Now, the United States is – has launched the talks with the Taliban and announced the drawdown of their military troops in Afghanistan. How effective are these measures given that the Taliban now occupies nearly half of the country’s territory? SECRETARY POMPEO: So America’s eyes are wide open with the challenges of an unstable Afghanistan. We’re continuing to try to work to reduce violence there. Frankly, we’re very appreciative of what Kazakhstan has done to help us with that. They have been great partners of ours in fighting terror not only in Afghanistan but in other places around the world as well. We’re counting on the people of Kazakhstan to continue to do that. We’ll manage this process right. America is doing its level best to ensure that we get peace and reconciliation so as we withdraw our footprint there, as we reduce the number of U.S. forces and, frankly, forces from other countries that are in Afghanistan, we do so in a way that doesn’t increase – increase risk substantially to this region. QUESTION: Mr. Pompeo, the U.S. Government has just expanded its travel ban list, and Kyrgyzstan was included. What do you think that signals to the other countries and other governments in Central Asia on why it happened? SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, when we consider who is permitted to travel to the United States, it’s really very straightforward. It’s about our sets of rules and laws. We want to make sure, just like Kazakhstan does, that we know who’s coming in and out of our country. And so with respect to the changes that were made there, we’ve been working with that country to fix some of the challenges we have – passport issues, visa issues, visa overstays – things that are simple requirements for people to come and visit and travel in our country. We’re getting the policy right. When the country fixes those things, we’ll get them right back in where they can come travel to America. We welcome people to come and visit and be part of our country. MS ORTAGUS: Okay. Thank you. QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary. SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you very much. It’s great to be with you. QUESTION: Thank you. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Lyazzat Shatayeva of Khabar 02/02/2020 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Lyazzat Shatayeva of Khabar 02/02/2020 10:36 AM EST Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, this is your first visit to Kazakhstan. Welcome. SECRETARY POMPEO: Great. It’s great to be here. QUESTION: You met with your counterpart, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, and then you’re going to meet Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as well as the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. What do you see as the biggest outcomes of these meetings and the visit? SECRETARY POMPEO: It’s great to be here, and thanks for having me on. An important relationship between the United States and Kazakhstan – so many good things happening between our countries. On the security front, we’re close partners. The Kazakhstanis lead here – right here in the heart, the crossroads between Europe and Asia, do such good things, and then there’s enormous economic opportunity between our two countries. We’re delivering on that not only here with energy, but in agriculture, in IT, digital transformation – all good things that are happening between our two peoples that will create jobs and opportunity right here in Kazakhstan. It’s a very exciting time. QUESTION: I’m glad to hear that. Well, it’s actually also – all the things that are happening – happening between the United States and Kazakhstan, like the 10-year nonimmigrant visas, like the signing of the air transport agreement that has allowed and established in modern air aviation, civil aviation partnership between the two countries, these are all signals to a mature partnership between the two countries. How important is Kazakhstan in the U.S. strategy, larger strategy in regard to Eurasia? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I think you got it right: These are important signals. These are the kinds of great things that happen when you have good leadership who’s ready to transform and do the right things to take care of their own people. You talked about a handful of them: the open skies agreement and some of the economic – just signed a deal with Tyson Foods to help with agriculture here, create lots of jobs for people, good jobs. I – so I was driving around today. I saw this beautiful place, this beautiful town. All kinds of good things are happening. Kazakhstan is important to the United States. It’s a leader of the C5 nations. We’ll be down in Tashkent tomorrow to have a meeting of the group, and I know that the Kazakhstanis will be real leaders in developing good things not only for the people here, but for people throughout the region as well. QUESTION: You just mentioned the investments, the United States investments in Kazakhstan, and the United States is one of the largest foreign direct investor incomes with massive amounts of investment in oil and gas. Now we see a more diverse range of interests among the American investments in the Kazakh market. Is it so? SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, it’s absolutely true, and it’s important because what you’ll see is – and I think the – I think people here know this: When American companies show up, we’re good neighbors. We come, we hire people from the local towns and villages and cities, we don’t pollute, we care about the environment, we treat people the right way. It’s just how American companies operate. It’s in our nature. It’s in our DNA. It’s a good thing. It’s – there are other countries when they come and make investments, don’t behave that way; they behave in ways that, frankly, isn’t very good for the local population. That’s not who we are as Americans, and this partnership, these economic opportunities are fantastic – fantastic certainly for the companies that come here because they want to come here and grow and thrive their business, but for the local people here as well. QUESTION: Now, the U.S. President Donald Trump has welcomed the change of leadership in Kazakhstan last year. How has the relationship evolved since then, since the change of the government? SECRETARY POMPEO: It’s been a continuation of good things that have been going on for a couple, three years now. I’m looking forward to meeting both of the presidents today. We’ll get a chance to talk about a wide range of issues, certainly issues between our two countries, but issues around the region as well. We know that there are security issues here. We’re prepared to help in every way we can with them. A good example is what’s going on with the coronavirus. The United States is here helping Kazakhstan deal with this problem. You’ve got a long border with China which is where this disease has emanated from. And we’ve got our people from the Center for Disease Control right here on the ground, helping Kazakhstan deal with this so that you don’t have an enormous outbreak. We’re here, we’re ready with equipment and expertise to help you and your country deal with it. This is what good friends and good partners do for each other. QUESTION: While the economic rela ... [Message clipped]  View entire message ReplyForward