The U.S. leadership is interested in intensifying cooperation and interaction with Kazakhstan, said former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger. Talking to journalists in Astana on Saturday following a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kissinger said that the U.S. and Kazakhstan have good relations in the security field. He added that the fact that high-ranking U.S. officials have been regularly visiting Kazakhstan of late shows that the U.S. administration is willing to deepen this cooperation and interaction. Kazakhstan, a country located at the crossroads of great civilizations and a leading supplier of energy to world markets, is playing a very important role both in the region and in the entire world, Kissinger said. Kissinger said he believes the country is witnessing significant economic and political progress. Kissinger hailed the outcome of his meeting with Nazarbayev. He said he had had a very interesting and useful conversation with the Kazakh president, all in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding. Kissinger said he is looking forward to resuming this dialogue. (Interfax)