ALMATY. Jan 20 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - Kazakh Defense MinisterMuhtar Altynbayev will make an official visit to Great Britain from Tuesday to Friday.
"This is the first such visit in the history of the republic. An exchange of opinions on many questions is important for us and for Britain," he told a Monday briefing in Almaty.
Altynbayev said he is expected to meet with Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and NATO Secretary General George Robertson. He said he will discuss military cooperation and arms supplies.
Britain wants to know about the state of security and the existence of threats in Central Asia, he said.
The minister said he was satisfied with his visit to China accompanying president Nazarbayev late last year. During the visit Altynbayev met his Chinese counterpart Chi Hao Tian, and the parties confirmed observance of bilateral peaceful cooperation despite change in the Chinese government.
"Soon Kazakhstan's armed forces might obtain vehicles of high maneuverability from China within the framework of military- technical cooperation," the minister added.