Medvedev to attend Astana's jubilee, Nazarbayev's birthday July 5-6

ASHGABAT, July 5 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will attend celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Kazakhstan's capital of Astana and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's birthday on July 5-6.

King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev,
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, and
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will also attend the celebrations.

Medvedev is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with Nazarbayev,
Abdullah II, and Gul.
"The Georgian side said they would like to have negotiations,"
presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said, adding, "We do not rule out
contacts on the sidelines of the celebrations if no bilateral meeting is
held."

Medvedev and Abdullah II will discuss the situation in the Middle
East, while Medvedev and Gul will focus on economic cooperation, energy
and humanitarian contacts, Prikhodko said.

It will be Medvedev's second visit to Kazakhstan in the capacity of
president. He made his the first visit to Astana on May 22-23.
"The new meeting will focus on integration in the Eurasian Economic
Community (EurAsEC), the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO),
and the CIS," Prikhodko said. "Kazakhstan is Russia's ally in the
promotion of CIS integration and the customs union."

Medvedev and Nazarbayev will concentrate on "the promotion of
strategic partnership through high-tech and innovative cooperation."
"Boosting cooperation in science-intensive industries, including
nanotechnologies, civilian atomic energy, space exploration, and
military-technical contacts, becomes particularly important," Prikhodko
said.

Astana's anniversary will be marked on July 5, and Nazarbayev will
celebrate his birthday on July 6.