Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu is set to visit Kazakhstan this week.
The press service of the U.S. Department of state said in a press release Donald Lu will lead a U.S. delegation to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan on May 23-27 to cement U.S. relations with the region and advance collaborative efforts to create a more connected, prosperous, and secure Central Asia. According to the release, the delegation is comprised of the National Security Council’s Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia Eric Green, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia Rebecca Zimmerman, U.S. Agency for International Development Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia Anjali Kaur, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Naz El-Khatib.
In Kazakhstan, the delegation is expected to meet with senior Kazakhstani officials and civil society leaders to discuss Kazakhstan’s reform agenda, efforts to strengthen human rights protections, and advance women’s empowerment.
By Kazinform