Kazakhstan Bolsters Peacekeeping Presence in 2023
Kazakhstan expanded its peacekeeping operations in 2023 following President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's directive, according to Deputy Minister of Defense Lieutenant-General Sultan Kamaletdinov, as reported by the ministry’s press office during a briefing on December 26 at the Central Communications Service.
The Ministry conducted six international exercises within Kazakhstan and Kazakh military members engaged in 24 exercises and competitions abroad, as mentioned by Deputy Minister Kamaletdinov. He highlighted ongoing rotations of the Kazakh contingent in UN missions in Lebanon, Western Sahara, the Central African Republic, and Congo. Plans were revealed to dispatch the national contingent to the UN Disengagement Observer Force mission in the Golan Heights next year.
The Kazakh peacekeeping unit, with a total of 607 military personnel, including seven women, has been involved in various missions. Presently, 19 military personnel from Kazakhstan are active in peacekeeping operations.
Additionally, Kamaletdinov praised the ministry’s involvement in disaster response in the Abai and Zhambyl Regions, where military efforts rescued 30 pieces of equipment trapped in snow and aided over 200 individuals in Zhambyl Region.(Source:astanatimes)
In a firefighting operation in July in the Abai Region, the army aviation delivered more than 400 tons of water, involving over 500 military personnel and eight helicopters.
The government has taken steps to make mandatory military service more attractive, offering 3,000 free university placements for soldiers transitioning to the reserve. Negotiations for "credit holidays" with second-tier banks have been pursued, benefitting over 5,000 conscripts who received deferred payments totaling 1.8 million tenge ($4 million), along with additional educational support for their service.
In the realm of sports, military athletes participated in 143 events at various levels in 2023, securing a total of 171 gold, 82 silver, and 87 bronze medals. Furthermore, 36 army athletes are set to represent Kazakhstan at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
