Thomko Petro Chemical Blog

Kazakhstan has questionable human rights records, and their last election was deemed flawed by European officials - but they have oil - and that's the bottom line - CT

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met the foreign minister of Kazakhstan on Monday to cement closer ties with the oil-rich former Soviet state which opposition groups say blocks democratic reforms.

Kazakhstan stretches from the Caspian Sea to China and is bigger than Western Europe.

The meeting laid the ground for a visit to Washington by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who will meet President George W. Bush on Friday and spend time with the president's father at their holiday home in Maine. Nazarbayev was elected for a third presidential term last December in a vote judged to be flawed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Rice stated that Washington wants a multi-dimensional relationship with Kazakhstan, and is encouraging continuing reforms. The U.S. has been only mildly critical of Kazakhstan's human rights record, not wanting to upset its government as Washington competes with Russia for influence in Central Asia, a key gas and oil producing region.

The opposition in Kazakhstan accuses the West of putting their oil before democracy. When restrictions were imposed on the media this year, Washington issued a weak rebuke of the action.

Condi Rice also met with the foreign minister of Kazakhstan, and discussed efforts to integrate Afghanistan into regional Central Asian economies. The minister pledged to continue his country's help to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rice visited Kazakhstan nearly a year ago and Vice President Dick Cheney went there in May to promote new oil export routes that bypass Russia. He praised Kazakhstan's democratic developments while attacking Russia's record.

Another reason why Russia's President Putin is upset with Washington - See our previous posting - CT

Soon after Cheney's visit, Kazakhstan officially joined a U.S.-backed project to transport Caspian oil to Mediterranean markets.