Ukraine and Kazakhstan are planning to step up military and technical cooperation.
Interfax-Ukraine learned from sources in the defense sector that the sides had confirmed their mutual interest in expanding bilateral defense cooperation during the fourth meeting of the intergovernmental commission on military and technical cooperation, which was recently held in Astana under the leadership of Ukrainian and Kazakh Deputy Defense Ministers Oleksandr Oliynyk and Sergey Gromov.
According to sources, during the meeting the sides discussed the development of bilateral defense cooperation in the armor, aviation, naval and aerospace sectors, as well as interaction between arms exporters, military and scientific organizations and the military missions of the two countries.
“During the meeting the Kazakhs proposed that the Ukrainian side continue cooperation in the repair and modernization of armored vehicles for the Kazakh Armed Forces. Ukrainian defense companies were invited to participate in tenders for the repair, modernization and supply of aircraft and air defense systems, which are being prepared by the Kazakh side for 2014,” the source said.
“The sides also voiced their consent to continue to cooperate in the supply of arms and military equipment for ships that are built in Kazakhstan,” he said.
According to the source, “the Kazakh side also stressed the importance of cooperation in the designing and construction in Ukraine of rocket-artillery ships, patrol boats and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, the supply of Ukrainian-produced composite floating docks, piers and mobile bases, as well as the creation of the infrastructure of naval and ship repair bases in the interests of Kazakhstan.”
Military and technical cooperation between Ukraine and Kazakhstan has in recent years envisaged the supply of Ukrainian air defense systems to Kazakhstan, the repair of Kazakh military transport and military aviation, as well as programs for the joint modernization of Kazakh heavy armored vehicles at the facilities of JSC Semey Engineering (Semey, Kazakhstan).
In 2012, the Ukroboronprom State Concern and JSC Kazakhstan Engineering signed an agreement on the joint production of new Ukrainian BTR-4 armored vehicles in Kazakhstan. The cost of a promising cooperation program is estimated at about $150 million.
According to Ukrainian military experts, in the next few years, Kazakhstan can become the third-largest importer of Ukrainian arms on the regional CIS arms market after Russia and Azerbaijan.
