at first, the kaziss mainly dealt with the issues of nuclear arsenal deployed in the territory of kazakhstan and its participation in the start i. the experts soon expanded their research scope embracing geopolitics and international security. soon director kassenov and other kaziss experts established contacts and cooperation with a number of prominent think tanks abroad. umirserik kassenov and his colleagues made considerable efforts to apply their potential and influence so that the nuclear issue would be solved positively for kazakhstan. as the result, in 1994–1995 kazakhstan received security guarantees from the world nuclear powers in exchange for the agreement to abandon the soviet nuclear arsenal.