KAZAKHSTAN: INTEREST IN MTCR MEMBERSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALMATY 001584

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (J. MUDGE),ISN/MTR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2016
TAGS: PREL PARM MNUC ETTC KSCA TSPA KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: INTEREST IN MTCR MEMBERSHIP

REF: A. STATE 26798


B. 05 ALMATY 1973

Classified By: Amb. John Ordway, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) POEC chief conveyed Ref A points to Sergey Savelyev,
deputy director of the MFA's Security Affairs division,
during an April 4 meeting in Astana. Savelyev indicated that
representatives from the Kazakhstani Embassy had met with ISN
experts in Washington to discuss Kazakhstan's desire to join
the MTCR, and had received useful feedback. He thought that
it might be useful to send a delegation of Kazakhstani
experts to Washington in a few months.


2. (C) Responding to the points, Savelyev stressed that the
U.S. needed to be aware of Kazakhstan's plans to create a
space program in the near future (Ref B). Significant
amounts of money had already been allocated, he said, and the
government was making progress a high priority. Development
of the program would require Kazakhstan to purchase launch
vehicle technology that would then need to be protected,
Savelyev noted.
ORDWAY