The US Special Commission on Energy Partnership (SCEP) held a meeting in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, co-chaired by Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev and US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, the US Department of Energy said in a statement, according to Sputnik.
"The session was held as a follow-up to the 11th session of the Commission held in 2015, and included the ceremonial signing of a joint statement of the Kazakhstan-United States Energy Partnership Commission," the statement said on Wednesday.
Bozumbayev and Moniz discussed the 2016 SCEP work plan, which encourages the use of alternative energy sources, reduces emissions, and enhances nuclear safety, according to the Energy Department.
Last week, Washington and Astana announced the successful elimination of all fresh highly enriched uranium from the VVR-K research reactor at Institute of Nuclear Physics in Almaty.
Kazakhstan has committed to return the spent highly enriched uranium to Russia, thereby eliminating it all from the Institute of Nuclear Physics facility.