US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan next week, State Department spokesman Sean

McCormack said at a briefing on Tuesday.

"The secretary will travel to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan between October 10th and 13th. She will have discussions on a range of issues related to economic development, security matters and democracy building," McCormack said.

McCormack said that the general message of the visit is to support the ongoing political change and economic reform that is ongoing in this region and to underline US support for those who will undertake the necessary political and economic reforms.

"These are things that we want to promote in this region, and that those countries that not only speak out in support of these principles, but also act on those principles, will have a different kind of relationship with the United States," the spokesman said.

Source: Xinhua