User:Tycarm/sandbox

In May 2006 Vice President Dick Cheney travelled to Kazakhstan to meet with President Nazarbayev to promote the expansion of oil and gas export routes. This was the third meeting between Cheney and Nazarbayev, the first occurring when Cheney was CEO of Halliburton, and the second shortly after Cheney became vice president. After the meeting, Nazarbayev publicly stated that memoranda of understanding had been signed for co-financing of Kazakh projects and $158 million allocated for defense projects.

On September 29, 2006, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with President George W. Bush in the White House. In their public remarks President Bush thanked Nazarbayev for his country’s support in Afghanistan, and stated the two had discussed Kazakhstan’s ascension to the WTO and commitment to institutions “that will enable liberty to flourish”. President Nazarbayev pointed to the strength in bilateral relations between the two countries as resulting from cooperation on matters of energy security, Bush’s war on terror, and economic agreements. The joint declaration signed by both leaders highlighted several bilateral and global issues; these included American support for Kazakh oil and gas pipeline expansion in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project, Kazakhstan’s national development into a diverse and stable economy, and Kazakh ascension to the WTO. Included in the joint statement was also a component focused on Kazakhstan’s efforts to invest in “its citizens…an independent media, local self-government, and elections deemed free and fair by international standards”.

The first meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Nursultan Nazarbayev came on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic-American Summit held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two leaders exchanged thoughts on strengthening the bilateral relationship between their countries and prospects for “deepening relations in trade, economic, political, cultural and humanitarian spheres,” according to the Kazakhstan embassy website. In later statements Donald Trump expressed his view that the two leaders “developed an immediate relationship” in this meeting.

On January 16, 2018, President Donald Trump met with President Nazarbayev in the White House, the first such visit in Washington by the Kazakh head of state since a 2006 meeting with then-President George W. Bush ( https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-meets-kazakh-leader-in-white-house-visit-1516140990 ). Prior to the meeting, Kazinform, a news agency founded by the government of Kazakhstan and one of the largest media outlets in Kazakhstan, stated that the meeting would focus on “the promotion of regional and global security,” including specific situations in Afghanistan, Syria, and Russia, as well as a centering on Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the US in nuclear nonproliferation. In their public remarks from Washington, President Trump highlighted economic cooperation between the countries, citing deals with companies General Electric and Boeing, while also referring to regional security cooperation in Saudi Arabia. Trump praised Kazakhstan for their economic deals and Nazarbayev’s “great, great job” as president. President Nazarbayev positively referred to American support for Kazakhstan’s independence and growing economic cooperation. Nazarbayev also praised President Trump’s signing of tax cut legislation in December 2017, calling it an “outstanding decision,” and alluding to similar legislation passed in Kazakhstan.