Kazakh allows US overflights,lessen dependence on Pak

Top officials of the Obama Administration consider this as a major achievement as such a permission by the Government of Kazakhstan would help the US move forces into the war zones quickly and safely.

Michael McFaul,Senior Director for Russia on the National Security Council,said such an agreement with Kazakhstan will allow troops to fly directly from the US over the North Pole to the region.

As of now,cargo goes through Pakistan or is sent on a longer,more complicated east-west journey.

“This will save money; it will save time in terms of moving our troops and supplies needed into the theatre,” McFaul said.

A formal agreement in this regard would be signed soon,officials said.

For quite some time now,the Obama Administration has been looking for alternatives to its supply route to landlocked Afghanistan,an overwhelming majority of which as of now passes through Pakistan.

Kazakhstan was the only country — of the five bilaterals that Obama had yesterday ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit here with which he issued a joint statement.

“The Presidents discussed ways to enhance Kazakhstan’s critical role in the Northern Distribution Network and welcomed a new bilateral agreement enabling US cargo flights across Kazakhstan,” the joint statement said.

Recognising Kazakhstan’s achievements in social and economic development,the US will continue to support the development of a diversified economy in that country through the Programme for Economic Development and the Kazakh-US Public Private Economic Partnership Initiative,it said.

The two Presidents positively assessed the current state of bilateral economic relations. They agreed to redouble efforts to complete Kazakhstan’s WTO accession and support the work of the Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.

Reconfirming the importance of the long-term energy partnership between the two countries,the US welcomed Kazakhstan’s emergence as the top global uranium producer as an important development for diversification of global energy supply.