Kazakhstan, NATO to cooperate on Afghanistan

Kazakh Foreign Minister Kassymzhomart Tokayev and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discussed Afghanistan on Wednesday.

The two men discussed the issue "extensively" in a meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, said NATO spokesman James Appathurai.

Tokayev also addressed the North Atlantic Council, the alliance 's principal decision-making body.

Kazakhstan is one of the most active countries in Central Asia in cooperation with NATO and has interest in what takes place in Afghanistan, said Appathurai.

NATO is now leading the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. NATO sees its mission in Afghanistan as the largest operation ever.

NATO and Kazakhstan focus on political dialogue and practical cooperation, said the spokesman.

"The tone around the table was very positive; cooperation is going well."

He would not give details of the discussions, only saying that a wide range of issues were discussed on Wednesday.

The spokesman was quick to point out that there should be no conflict between Kazakhstan's cooperation with NATO and its membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

He said Tokayev made very clear in his talks with de Hoop Scheffer that there should be no competition between the two organizations and that no one should ascribe competition to the two.

"For his part, the secretary general stressed that he too saw absolutely no competition between the two organizations or between NATO and any other party in the region," said the spokesman.

In January this year, Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to sign an Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO.

"Central Asia is an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic area and a strategically important region," said de Hoop Scheffer during the meeting.

"We face common challenges such as terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional and ethnic conflicts."

Source: Xinhua