NATO seeks closer ties with Kazakhs

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization hopes to deepen its cooperation with Kazakhstan, NATO's secretary general said Tuesday.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer spoke after a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Almaty, the Interfax news agency said.

The NATO secretary general told journalists one of the subjects of their meeting was the development of Kazakhstan's cooperation with NATO within the framework of the Partnership for Peace Planning and Review Process being carried out by NATO.

The meeting also addressed the possibility of developing an individual plan of action for partnership, which is the next stage of the PARP program, de Hoop Scheffer said.