AKIPRESS.COM - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman will travel to Astana, Kazakhstan, to attend the IAEA Fuel Bank inauguration ceremony August 27-28.

In Astana, he will meet with Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov and Minister of Energy Vladimir Skholnik to discuss nonproliferation issues, visit the International Science and Technology Center, and engage with the media.

Prior to his trip to Kazakhstan, Countryman will stop in Cancun, Mexico, to attend the First Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty from August 24-25, the U.S. Department of State said.