Kazakhstan plans to set up a Regional Training Center For Countering Nuclear Threats as part of its cooperation with the U.S., the U.S. embassy said Wednesday.

"The question was discussed by the official representatives of the two countries on Feb. 16, and the United States and Kazakhstan reaffirmed the need to prevent terrorists and other criminals from acquiring nuclear or radioactive material," the release said.

"Both sides also agreed to develop a regional training Center for countering nuclear threats in Kazakhstan, which would encompass existing cooperation on Material, Protection, Control and Accounting and develop further capacity in the area of countering nuclear smuggling," the release said.

Kazakhstan and the U.S. also discussed best practices in the areas of nuclear detection, nuclear forensics, law enforcement, development of new radiation detection technologies, and identified areas for additional training and cooperation, the embassy said.