US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pledged to help Kazakhstan ensure security in the oil-rich Caspian Sea on Wednesday, an area of acute interest for Washington as it seeks to diversify its crude oil supplies.
Rumsfeld flew into Kazakhstan, an ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia likely to become a major oil player in the next decade, as part of a trip to the region aimed at bolstering military ties and efforts to cut drugs trafficking.
"We have been co-operating with exercises and different types of equipment (in the Caspian)," Rumsfeld told a news conference after talks with Kazakh officials in the capital Astana.
A senior US defence official told reporters travelling with Rumsfeld that Washington was anxious to help Caspian security, possibly by supplying boats and radars.
"They (Kazakhstan) are extremely interested in developing security within Kazakhstan and the Caspian, especially for oil," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
Kazakhstan decided last year to set up its own navy and is to take delivery of its first battleships in coming months.
As Rumsfeld arrived in Astana, the Kazakh government signed an agreement with a consortium of foreign oil firms, including US-based ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, on oil production in the Caspian.
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