ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Washington and Moscow shifted their energy concerns in Europe and Central Asia east from Georgia to Kazakhstan following an August conflict in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a one-day visit to the Kazakh capital, Astana, Sunday as U.S.-based oil company ConocoPhillips and Mubadala Development Co. of the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding on energy development.

"It's a very transparent relationship that we have in the area of energy," said Kazakh Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin on relations with Washington.

Russian observers, however, worry Washington is trying to pressure former Soviet states in the energy sector as Europe struggles to ease its dependence on Moscow for natural resources, the news site EurasiaNet said Tuesday.

The August conflict between Georgia and Russia over the republic of South Ossetia disrupted the flow of oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, prompting Washington to make diplomatic moves in the interest of energy security.

Kazakh officials said they have no intention of forming a formal alliance with either party, while Rice stressed there were no larger geopolitical motives behind her visit.

"Our relations with Russia are excellent, politically well established and correct. Russia is a strategic partner for us," Tazhin stated. "At the same time we have stable strategic relations with the United States of America."