# Kazakhstan - United States Department of State

- Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Nurtleu Office of the SpokespersonThe below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in Washington, D.C. to discuss our shared interest in advancing the United States-Kazakhstan partnership. Secretary Blinken and Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Nurtleu shared their perspectives on the bilateral economic partnership and noted their commitment to strengthening investment and diversifying Kazakhstan’s economy, including through the Global Methane Pledge and investment in critical minerals. Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of human rights, emphasizing the critical role a free media and vibrant civil society play in fostering an environment conducive to attracting business investment and economic growth.  The Secretary reiterated unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression. He also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment as a reliable partner to Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.Secretary Blinken and Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Nurtleu also discussed their continued support for a strong, connected, and prosperous Central Asian region.
- Critical Minerals and Mining Equipment in Kazakhstan register by April 3, 2024Hosts:&nbsp; U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosenblum&nbsp;Date and Time:&nbsp;&nbsp;11:00 am ET Wednesday, April 10, 2024&nbsp;&nbsp;Description:&nbsp;&nbsp;Join U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosenblum&nbsp;and Jennifer Miel, Executive Director of&nbsp;the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Kazakhstan&nbsp;Business Council&nbsp;to learn about the mining and emerging critical minerals and critical materials&nbsp;sector in Kazakhstan and the experiences of companies operating in these evolving markets.&nbsp; Kazakhstan possesses significant mineral wealth, including 17 critical materials on the&nbsp;U.S. Department of Energy’s Critical Minerals’ List, and seeks to attract additional foreign investment.Experts:Simon Glancy, Managing Partner of Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm which advises global companies on doing business in Central Asia’s strategic industries, including mining, will provide a brief overview of state mining policy and foreign investor activity in the mining industry in&nbsp;Kazakhstan, focusing on critical minerals. He will also discuss business opportunities for&nbsp;firms to sell equipment and services in these markets.&nbsp;Alex Walker is the Founder and CEO of East Star Resources PLC, a Kazakhstan focused copper exploration and resource development company with advanced exploration in the East Region. Alex is a mining investment banker and resources executive who for the last 2.5 years has been based full-time in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He has more than 15 years of mining finance and management experience and has a MSc in Mineral and Energy Economics, a GDip in Applied Finance and Investment, a Bcomm, a BSocSci, a GAICD, and is a former Captain in the Australian Army Reserves.						Tags																					Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs																								Kazakhstan
- B5+1 Forum HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;B5+1 Forum				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										B5+1 Forum																																		Media Note																														March 15, 2024																																							The Governments of the United States, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan joined private sector representatives in the inaugural B5+1 Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from March 13-15, 2024.Announced by President Biden during the inaugural C5+1 Summit in September 2023 and highlighted in the corresponding New York Declaration, the B5+1 is the private-sector-led counterpart to the C5+1 &#8211; the diplomatic platform among the five Central Asian governments plus the United States.&nbsp; With the “B” standing for business, the B5+1 platform facilitates public-private sector dialogue to foster enhanced U.S.-Central Asia economic partnership. &nbsp;The U.S. delegation was led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pommersheim and National Security Council Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia Nicholas Berliner.During the B5+1 Forum, participants engaged in a series of discussions regarding&nbsp;economic opportunities for Central Asian and U.S. businesses. They offered priority recommendations for improving the business operating environment in Central Asia and advancing regional economic integration, competitive markets, and foreign investment to the region.&nbsp; With support from the U.S. Department of State, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) will continue to lead B5+1 activities in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Central Asia.						Tags																					Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs																																Business																																																					Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy																															Kazakhstan																								Kyrgyzstan																								Office of the Spokesperson																								Tajikistan																								Turkmenistan
- Inaugural C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue among the United States and Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan Office of the SpokespersonOn February 8th, the U.S. Department of State hosted the inaugural meeting of the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD), an initiative announced by President Biden and the presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan at the September 19, 2023, C5+1 Presidential Summit in New York.Following the largest mining conference in Africa, Mining Indaba, where Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez advanced cooperation on securing and strengthening critical mineral supply chains, he chaired the C5+1 discussion on goals and objectives of the CMD, which will seek to increase the region’s involvement in global critical minerals supply chains, strengthen economic cooperation, and advance the clean energy transition, while also protecting Central Asia’s unique ecosystems.Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt moderated the event, accompanied by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pommersheim and colleagues from across the U.S. government who work on critical minerals. Senior officials from each of the Central Asian governments shared their interest in developing investment opportunities in critical minerals that meet the highest environmental, social standards, and governance.In the spirit of C5+1 collaboration, each country underscored the benefit of working together to advance our shared critical minerals objectives including diversification of markets and development of technologies in a manner that will benefit all our citizens. Among the initiatives discussed, the United States emphasized opportunities through the Minerals Security Partnership and Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. In the lead-up to the mining and exploration convention in Toronto, Canada, called Prospectors &amp; Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), the United States welcomed input from the C5 countries to promote new partnership and investment opportunities and efforts to continue the dialogue through national coordinators within the C5+1 framework.Learn more about C5+1 collaboration at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/21/c51-leaders-joint-statement/ .Learn more about the Minerals Security Partnership at: https://www.state.gov/minerals-securit-partnership/.  To stay up to date, follow Under Secretary Fernandez on X: @State_E, LinkedIn: @State-E, and Facebook: @StateDeptE.For press inquiries, please contact: E_Communications@state.gov.
- Progress in Repatriations: How Foreign Assistance Is Addressing the Humanitarian and Security Crises in Northeast Syria: Part 2 of 2 Bureau of CounterterrorismChristine AsettaBetween 2011 and 2019, tens of thousands of people left more than 60 countries to fight for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  Today, approximately 2,000 ISIS foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) from outside Iraq and Syria remain in detention facilities operated by the non-State Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria.  The situation presents significant national security and humanitarian concerns; facilities are overcrowded, susceptible to violence and ISIS recruitment, and are insufficiently secure.  Secretary Blinken described this situation as ”untenable.” The most durable solution to address ongoing security and humanitarian concerns in northeast Syria is the safe return or repatriation, rehabilitation, reintegration, and prosecution and secure incarceration, as appropriate, of FTFs and associated family members.  Repatriation and rehabilitation of FTFs and their family members is the best way to mitigate the burgeoning security and humanitarian crisis in Syria, prevent ISIS’s resurgence in the region, and hold fighters accountable for their crimes through prosecution in their countries of origin where appropriate. The State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) collaborates closely with interagency and international partners to mitigate threats posed by detained ISIS fighters, in order to prevent an ISIS resurgence.  To date, CT and its partners have facilitated nearly 50 repatriation operations of FTFs and associated family members from northeast Syria and provided technical advice and assistance to more than 15 countries investigating, prosecuting, incarcerating, and rehabilitating and reintegrating their nationals. Thus far, CT Bureau support has contributed to more than 275 successful FTF prosecutions resulting in convictions. For example, in 2021 CT and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) supported a North Macedonian prosecutor who charged two returnees from northeast Syria with fighting in a foreign army, terrorist recruitment, and spreading ISIS propaganda.  The prosecutor did this by leveraging both social media and battlefield evidence military forces collected in Iraq and Syria, which the FBI shared for judicial use.  The totality of evidence resulted in both suspects pleading guilty and receiving two of the longest prison sentences for Balkan FTFs to date.The CT Bureau, in partnership with the UN and DOJ, also provides technical assistance to at least seven countries managing more than 1,000 convicted and imprisoned terrorists and FTFs.  For instance, in Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kosovo, and Tajikistan, the Bureau supported assessments and planning tools for these partners to effectively manage their FTF and terrorist prisoners, with secure incarceration and humane treatment.  The CT Bureau and its partners help prison officials to prevent inmates from radicalizing others to violence and plotting attacks, while also working to rehabilitate and, in many cases, reintegrate them into society.Rehabilitating and reintegrating those who return from Syria – whether or not they serve prison time – is vital to ending ISIS’s cycles of violence and radicalization to violence.  From Morocco to Indonesia, the CT Bureau supports programs that reduce the likelihood people who return from northeast Syria will continue to support terrorist causes.  The Bureau also lends its expertise to the development of good practices in effective rehabilitation and reintegration of FTFs and associated family members and strives to include language in CT-related UN resolutions that recognizes the need for UN Member States to develop effective strategies to deal with returnees.The risk of an ISIS resurgence in northeast Syria far outweighs the risks posed by FTFs and associated family members once repatriated.  Recognizing this, the CT Bureau will continue to support countries of origin in effectively managing their repatriation efforts.  As Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ian Moss said: “We cannot ignore our way out of this problem.  We must continue to leverage our counterterrorism cooperation to repatriate the remaining foreign fighters while also mitigating the risks.”For more information, visit the Bureau of Counterterrorism. About the Author: Christine Asetta is a Program Manager in the Bureau of Counterterrorism, Office of Programs.
- Accelerating Fast Mitigation: Summit on Methane and Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Office of the SpokespersonThe United States, People’s Republic of China, and United Arab Emirates today convened a Summit to accelerate actions to cut methane and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases as the fastest way to reduce near-term warming and keep a goal of limiting global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.At the Summit, the United Arab Emirates announced a call to action for Parties to the Paris Agreement to submit 2035 nationally determined contributions that are economy-wide and cover all greenhouse gases, which is encouraged by the G20 Leaders Statement and echoes the U.S. and PRC commitments in the Sunnylands Statement.Governments, philanthropies, and the private sector joined together to announce an unprecedented over $1 billion in new grant funding for methane reduction mobilized since COP27, which more than triples current annual grant funding and will leverage billions in project investment. Governments also reiterated their recent agreement to the largest ever replenishment of the Montreal Multilateral Fund with $965 million in funding to support Kigali Amendment implementation and energy efficiency.Emissions of methane and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases, and their precursors, are responsible for over half of today’s warming, but they receive far less than half of global climate attention. These greenhouse gases—including methane, hydrofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and tropospheric ozone—are dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide.To keep the goal of 1.5 degrees within reach and reduce the risk of breaching near-term tipping points, the world must take fast action on non-CO2 greenhouse gases, as an essential complement to the energy transition and ending deforestation. While CO2 will determine our long-term climate future, non-CO2 greenhouse gases have an outsized impact on near-term temperatures. Accelerated cuts to methane and non-CO2 gases could avoid up to 0.5 degrees of warming by 2050. Non-CO2 greenhouse gases also cause almost 500,000 deaths every year from respiratory illnesses and 5-7 percent of global crop losses at a time when global production is already strained. Rapidly reducing non-CO2 emissions is a three-in-one solution, advancing global climate, health, and food security objectives simultaneously.   The Summit featured major new announcements to address methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and cooling:Methane has contributed 30 percent of current warming. Reducing methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030 in line with the Global Methane Pledge could avoid over 0.2 degrees Celsius of warming by 2050, by far the fastest way to cool global temperatures.At the Summit, governments, philanthropies, and the private sector joined together to announce an unprecedented over $1 billion in new grant funding for methane reduction mobilized since COP27 in support of the Methane Finance Sprint, which more than triples current annual grant funding and will leverage billions in project investment.The United States announced final standards to sharply reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, which will achieve a nearly 80 percent reduction below future methane emissions expected without the rule and is expected to prevent the equivalent of 1.5 gigatons of CO2 emissions over the next 15 years. The United States is also planning a rulemaking to review and, if appropriate, revise its Clean Air Act emission standards for new and existing municipal solid waste landfills, and in 2024 will release updates on emissions estimates for municipal solid waste landfills.Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Angola, Kenya, and Romania joined the Global Methane Pledge.Kazakhstan announced cooperation with the United States to develop Kazakhstan’s national standards to eliminate non-emergency venting of methane and require leak detection and repair in the oil and gas sector as soon as possible before 2030, as part of a U.S.-Kazakhstan Joint Statement on Accelerating Methane Mitigation to Achieve the Global Methane Pledge.Brazil announced that its National Council of Energy Policy will establish guidelines on methane reduction in the oil and gas sector by the end of 2024 and ANP aims to finalize regulations by the end of 2025 based on these guidelines.Nigeria, as a Global Methane Pledge Champion, showcased its commitment to address methane from oil and gas and waste, including advancing projects it estimates will capture over half of all gas flaring volumes.Further details and actions will be released alongside the Global Methane Pledge Ministerial on December 4.Hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, are used in cooling and cause hundreds to thousands of times more warming than CO2. Action to reduce HFCs and increase cooling efficiency could reduce 0.1 degrees of warming by 2050 and avoid up to 0.5 degree Celsius of global temperature rise by 2100.At the Summit, the United Arab Emirates announced their intention to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which tackles HFCs.Governments reiterated their recent agreement to the largest ever replenishment of the Montreal Multilateral Fund with $965 million in funding to support Kigali Amendment implementation and energy efficiency.Governments welcomed the imminent launch of the Global Cooling Pledge, a landmark COP28 initiative to reduce global cooling-related emissions across all sectors and to increase access to sustainable cooling substantially by 2030.For further information, please contact climatecomms@state.gov
- U.S.-Kazakhstan Joint Statement on Accelerating Methane Mitigation to Achieve the Global Methane Pledge Office of the SpokespersonToday, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on International Environmental Cooperation Zulfiya Suleimenova issued the following:Building on more than 30 years of successful partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States;Highlighting the 5th anniversary of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States and increasing opportunities for cooperation on methane abatement;Recognizing the pivotal roles our countries play in creating a greener, safer, and better world;Emphasizing the importance of rapidly reducing methane emissions before 2030 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius;Recognizing the significant methane mitigation potential of the fossil energy sector and the need to rapidly reduce emissions in this sector;Understanding the significance of voluntary actions in contributing to the collective effort to reduce global methane emissions;Striving to mobilize global action and reinforce support for existing international initiatives in methane emission reduction through effective bilateral action;Acknowledging the crucial involvement of the private sector, development banks, financial institutions, and international aid agencies in supporting the implementation of the Global Methane Pledge;Kazakhstan joins the Global Methane Pledge.The United States and Kazakhstan state their mutual readiness to accelerate the development and implementation of policies and projects to rapidly reduce methane emissions, particularly from the fossil energy sector.The United States and Kazakhstan intend to advance the following efforts in the next two years to support Kazakhstan’s methane reduction priorities:Cooperation on best practices implementation for coal mine methane mitigation, including degasification of coal seams, destruction of ventilation air methane, and the capture and utilization of coal mine methane that would otherwise be emitted.Cooperation to implement regular and comprehensive leak detection and repair and eliminate routine venting of methane across the oil and gas sector, including by:Supporting utilization of satellite and other technologies to monitor and mitigate methane emissions, with particular focus on preventing and rapidly responding to super-emitter events, including through active participation in the International Methane Emissions Observatory’s Methane Alert and Response System.Supporting implementation of regular leak detection and repair in KazMunaiGaz and its subsidiaries and dependent organizations.Supporting exchanges of best practices and encouraging development of projects to identify, repair, and prevent leaks and venting in the gas transmission, distribution, and storage system.Advancing pilot projects for methane leakage and venting control at Kazakhstan’s oil and gas facilities, with the goal of implementing best practices for methane measurement and reduction nationwide.Developing national standards, as appropriate, to eliminate non-emergency venting of methane and require leak detection and repair in the oil and gas sector as soon as possible before 2030.Support improvements in national methane inventories across sectors, including through support from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.Encourage private sector development of and investment in methane reduction projects, including by convening in the first half of 2024 an industry roundtable to showcase methane reduction technologies and identify opportunities for project development.Identify and support, as appropriate, sources of financing for methane reduction projects, including through the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the International Finance Corporation, World Bank, and others.The United States intends to work with partners to mobilize investments to support achieving full methane mitigation potential in Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector, which will require at least $1.4 billion in total spending through 2030 per International Energy Agency estimates, and catalyze investment in additional methane emissions reduction opportunities across sectors.Through this joint statement, we reiterate our commitment to addressing the urgent challenge posed by methane emissions. By working together on these priorities, we aim to build a more sustainable future for our planet and future generations.
- Kazakhstan HomeReportsBureau of CounterterrorismCountry Reports on Terrorism 2022&#8230;Kazakhstan				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							Country Reports on Terrorism 2022: Kazakhstan																																					Bureau of Counterterrorism																																																																																																				 In this section																																												Kazakhstan																																												Kazakhstan				Overview:  Kazakhstan remained alert to the potential for both externally directed and homegrown terrorist attacks.  The government described widespread civil unrest in early January as a terrorist attack.  The government continued rehabilitation and reintegration efforts for Kazakh foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and associated family members repatriated from Syria and Iraq.  NGOs and independent observers expressed concerns that terrorism and “extremism” laws were applied overly broadly, in some cases against political opponents and adherents of non-violent religious movements.  2022 Terrorist Incidents:  The government described widespread civil unrest in early January as a terrorist attack, and later as an attempted coup.  The unrest included armed attacks against government buildings and security servicemembers by criminal groups aligned with elites opposed to the current government.  At least 238 individuals died because of the violence and the government’s response.  Trials against the accused Kazakh citizen organizers of the violence were ongoing at year’s end.Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  Kazakhstan has a comprehensive CT legal framework.  The lead CT agency is the Committee for National Security (KNB), which coordinates efforts at both the central and local levels.  In 2022, the government concluded a five-year program to counter religious “extremism” and terrorism.  Law-enforcement officers and prosecutors continued to have wide discretion to determine what qualifies as terrorism or “extremism,” leaving political opponents and adherents of non-violent but unregistered religious groups vulnerable to prosecution.Kazakhstan bans its citizens from fighting in foreign wars.  The government has prosecuted fighters and others suspected of active participation in terrorism in Iraq and Syria while assisting other returnees with reintegrating into their communities, including by providing access to state-supported theological counseling and psychological, social, and educational services.  From 2019 to 2021, Kazakhstan returned more than 600 of its nationals, mostly women and children, from Iraq and Syria.  There were no new repatriations in 2022.Law-enforcement units demonstrated a strong capacity to detect, deter, and respond to terrorist incidents.  The KNB reported it disrupted three terrorist attacks in 2022 and prevented 134 foreign citizens involved in terrorism or religious “extremism” from entering the country.  The government convicted 56 persons for terrorism or “extremism” related crimes.  Local researchers have estimated that up to 90 percent of charges filed under laws against terrorism and “extremism” do not involve real or planned violent acts, and in some cases appeared to be connected to political opposition activity.  For example, police in Uralsk arrested two civil society activists in April for alleged participation in a political party banned as an “extremist” organization.  Courts also continued to deliver harsh sentences for the promotion of “extremism” online.  For example, an Almaty court in March handed down a sentence of five years’ imprisonment to a blogger for posting online “propaganda” critical of Russia’s war against Ukraine.Kazakhstan’s Border Guard Service (part of the KNB) and other agencies proactively worked to prevent Kazakhs and foreign citizens with suspected terrorist links from traveling to, from, or through Kazakhstan in line with UNSC 2396.  This included the use of specialized equipment to interdict suspicious or unauthorized travelers at both official and unofficial air, land, and sea crossing points.  Through a 10-year contract with the multinational security technology company IDEMIA, Kazakhstan has been working since 2018 to install and operate an API and PNR system to screen travelers.  Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Kazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (the EAG), and its FIU, the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a member of the Egmont Group.  In 2022, Kazakhstan updated its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism law in preparation for an EAG mutual evaluation planned for completion in 2023.  The new amendments require legal entities to disclose their beneficial owners; increase authorities’ ability to freeze funds and other assets of entities associated with the financing of terrorism, “extremism,” or weapons of mass destruction proliferation; and formalize practices for reporting entities to monitor activities for money-laundering and terrorist-financing risks.  The Prosecutor General’s Office transferred three terrorist financing cases to the court system in 2022.For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2022 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes.Countering Violent Extremism:  Kazakhstan continued efforts to promulgate officially approved versions of Islam to youth and provide alternatives to “extremism” through social programs and economic opportunities.  Working with religious experts, psychologists, and theologians, the Ministry of Information and Social Development conducted direct outreach in communities across the country; maintained an educational website on religion, state policy, and prevention of terrorism; and operated a nationwide hotline offering consultations on religious questions.  At the same time, the government continued to block online content it considered “extremist.”  In 2022 the government identified more than 120,000 websites as promoting “religious extremism” and terrorism, blocking more than 11,000.  The government also continued to implement rehabilitation and reintegration programs for individuals convicted of “extremism”-related offenses and their relatives.International and Regional Cooperation:  Kazakhstan partnered with the United States and international organizations such as the UNDP, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the OSCE on a variety of CT and CVE projects.  As a member of the C5+1 diplomatic platform, Kazakhstan participates in the associated C5+1 Security Working Group, which focuses on regional CT and CVE cooperation.  The Department of State’s CT Bureau continued implementation of technical assistance projects focused on managing FTF and terrorist inmates in prisons and building the capacity of practitioners supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of family members from Syria and Iraq.  The U.S. Agency for International Development also launched in October a five-year, $15 million regional program to reduce the risk of, and increase resilience to, violent extremism.Kazakhstan also participated in CT-related exercises and training through membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), CSTO, and SCO.																												    							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- Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Lu’s Travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India Office of the SpokespersonAssistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu will travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India on November 4-11. Assistant Secretary Lu will lead a U.S. delegation to Central Asia to build on the success of the inaugural C5+1 Presidential Summit on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September and the C5+1 Regional Connectivity Ministerial in October. Assistant Secretary Lu will then travel to India to prepare for and support the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.While in Astana, Assistant Secretary Lu will meet with senior Kazakh government officials and participate in the U.S.-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue (ESPD). During the ESPD, the United States and Kazakhstan will discuss a range of issues of mutual concern including political and security cooperation, economic partnership, protection for human rights, and people-to-people ties. He also will engage with civil society to advance women and girls’ empowerment and media freedom.Assistant Secretary Lu will then travel to Tashkent to lead the U.S. delegation during the U.S.-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership Dialogue (SPD). During the SPD, Assistant Secretary Lu will meet with senior Uzbekistani government officials to discuss the ways in which the United States and Uzbekistan can advance bilateral ties by expanding security partnership and discussing solutions to regional issues, strengthening people-to-people ties, and diversifying trade and investment. He will also engage with civil society groups working on human rights issues. While in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the U.S. delegation will reaffirm the United States’ steadfast commitment to Kazakhstan’s and Uzbekistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.Assistant Secretary Lu and the U.S. delegation will then travel to India to meet with partners ahead of the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, to discuss strategic coordination on regional and global issues, clean energy, and security cooperation. During the 2+2 Dialogue, Assistant Secretary Lu will support Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin in advancing a wide range of issues, including defense and security, regional developments, emerging tech, and cooperation in clean energy and space.
- Kazakhstan’s Republic Day Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateOn behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I send my warmest wishes to the people of Kazakhstan as they celebrate Republic Day on October 25.As the people of Kazakhstan on this day commemorate their declaration of sovereignty, we reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. We commend Kazakhstan’s steadfast leadership since independence in advancing global dialogue and efforts toward international peace and security. We note our continuing support for President Tokayev’s reform agenda and recall our strong support for its full implementation to build public confidence in government, increase government accountability, and protect human rights.On this day, we recognize that shared challenges are best solved jointly, and, in the spirit of our two countries’ enduring friendship, we look forward to partnering together on global challenges to advance our shared priorities of peace, prosperity, and stability for the benefit of both our countries’ peoples.