Kazakhstan's Defense Minister, visiting US Army General discuss Security Cooperation

    Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister Adilbek Djaksybekov and visiting US Central Command Commander, General James Mattis, held talks on cooperation in security, Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry said in a press release on Thursday, Xinhua stated.
    The two sides noted that one of the priority security-concerns was cooperation aimed at resolving problems in Afghanistan, the release said.
    They also addressed the possibility of having Kazakh officers trained in military schools and specialized centers of the US Armed Forces, including the National Defense University and the command and staff colleges.
    There are over 370 Kazakh officers being trained in 30 specialties at US military schools presently.
    Of the total, 27 officers have completed their training at the Military Academy at West Point, the command and staff colleges of the US Armed Forces and the National Defense University, said the release.
    Djaksybekov and Mattis also discussed plans to conduct a peacekeeping exercise called "Steppe Eagle" in 2012.
    "The exercise will be launched under the Partnership for Peace Program," Mr Djaksybekov was quoted as saying.
    In addition to Kazakhstan, General James Mattis also paid visits to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in past three days, the Focus Information Agency reports.