ALMATY. October 12. KAZINFORM /Daniyar Sikhimbayev/ The USA and Kazakhstan have strong friendship ties since Kazakhstan gained independence. US Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman has announced it at the Kazakhstan International Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference KIOGE-2009 held on October 7-8. Our guest noted that the recent past was covered with cobwebs of historical inevitability, and the situation during the USSR collapse was not clear. "At that time I worked at the White House National Security Council, being responsible for the programme of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. A lot of people saw in the USSR collapse a beginning of a new and dangerous era, because the world faced appearance of four nuclear powers: Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine. If it happened, a new wave of proliferation of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction could be stirred up, which could bring new threats, destabilization and huge risk", he said. "Today we know that this does not happen. Why? There are many reasons, but when they will write a history, there will be noted that Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev showed foresight and talent of a political figure, taking hard and fast decision to renounce nuclear weapons, which Kazakhstan inherited after the Soviet Union ceased to exist. He not only took out the weapons from Kazakhstan, but made the country a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. And nowadays Kazakhstan continues to play the role of a leader in the issues regarding nuclear non-proliferation", US Deputy Secretary of Energy said. He noted that both countries support strong economic ties, which strengthened more Kazakhstan's rating reached an investment level. In 2008 about 11 percent of total flow of direct investments in Kazakhstan made up the American companies' investments. "Despite we are rapidly moving to the future with low-carbon technology, we understand the global significance of our hydrocarbon resources and realize the role, which can be played by oil and gas companies in elaboration of new technologies and approaches, which will reduce environment pollution by carbon. Also we understand an important role of Kazakhstan resources as a large supplier of oil and gas at the world energy markets. Indeed, in the next decade Kazakhstan is expected to become one of the three largest oil-producing countries, which do not join the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)", D.Poneman said. "We call Kazakhstan and the region's countries to welcome investors' participation in development of the future infrastructure, including expansion of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and creation of the Trans-Caspian Oil Transport System. America supports Kazakhstan's striving for strengthening the current export routes and development of new routes in cooperation with Russia, Azerbaijan and China". D.Poneman emphasized, that, implementing the rules, which help diversify its energy variety, like the United States Kazakhstan has made important steps in efficiency and security of energy. "Creation of a new energy future, which will serve for public welfare, will call all countries for working conjointly, with new approaches, which will promote clean energy and energy efficiency. Within the framework of this process we call countries in this region to share their experience in energy difficulties overcoming, such as investments attraction to the energy sector and electric supply to rural regions", the guest of the KIOGE conference noted. "When it is touched upon a production of a large volume of electricity without carbon emission, we should seriously think of nuclear energy. It is a time to construct new future - a future, where we will develop and use energy more effectively. We can not reach this energy future along - only together. We should attract friends, partners and allies in the whole world, starting from those, who gathered here at the KIOGE conference, for our goals achievement in the energy sphere", US Deputy Secretary of Energy resumed.