Nur-Sultan and Moscow attach great importance to the fruitful development of Kazakh-Russian cooperation in the military sphere
It so happened that Kazakhstan and Russia are connected by thousands of threads in almost all spheres of life. Allied states successfully interact in large bilateral and international projects, including actively developing the military component of cooperation. As noted in the new Foreign Policy Concept of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2020 — 2030, the country's priorities in the field of regional and multilateral diplomacy imply the further development of allied relations with the Russian Federation.
Kazakhstan became the first CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) state to conclude with Russia in May 1992 the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, which was prolonged in June 2012 with amendments, taking into account new realities. The document confirms the desire of the countries to cooperate in matters of ensuring joint defense within the framework of a common military-strategic space, the joint use of military bases, training grounds and other military facilities, the provision of the necessary military assistance to an ally subjected to an act of aggression, the implementation of a coordinated policy in the military-technical sphere.
Kazakhstan and Russia in various areas of military and military-technical cooperations have formed a solid legal base, comprising of several dozen documents. A wide range of issues related to ensuring joint security of the two countries is based on the Treaty on Military Cooperation (March 1994). Other important documents include the Declaration of Eternal Friendship and Alliance, oriented towards the 21st century (July 1998), the intergovernmental agreement on the creation of a unified regional air defense system of Russia and Kazakhstan (January 2013), the Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Alliance in the 21st Century (November 2013), Agreement on military-technical cooperation (December 2013).
Recently it became known about the preparation of a document on the signing of a new 10-year agreement on military cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia, replacing the one in force since 1994. As indicated in the explanatory note, this project provides for the actualization and development of military cooperation between the countries, since some provisions of the previous document have already been implemented.
«The parties cooperate in the following main areas: joint planning on the use of troops (forces) in the interests of ensuring the security of the parties in the event of a request from one of the parties; joint counteraction to challenges and threats to regional security in the event of a request from one of the parties; operational and combat training; military education and science; countering terrorism; peacekeeping activities; the activity of troops (forces) and their all-round support, ensuring the activities of the military formations on the territories of the sides; improvement of the bilateral legal framework; interaction within the framework of the participation of military delegations of the parties in the work of international organizations; protection of state secrets; culture and sports; other areas of cooperation as agreed by the parties, »the draft agreement says. Kazakhstan and Russia within the framework of this document should develop a program of strategic partnership in the military field for a three-year period.
At present, the military cooperation of both countries is determined by the urgent need for joint protection of their strategic interests from objectively existing military threats. It is based on the principle of equality and independence in making its own decisions, ensuring territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as creating conditions for a lasting and just peace. In general, the high level of Kazakh-Russian military cooperation at the present stage is the result of intensive and high-quality interaction across the entire spectrum of key issues in bilateral relations.
A new mechanism for coordinating cooperation in the defense sector, created by Kazakhstan and Russia at the end of 2018, is in operation. It consists in holding regular consultations at the level of deputy defense ministers responsible for international military cooperation. At the same time, the Defense Ministers of the two countries signed the Program of Strategic Partnership between Kazakhstan and Russia in the military field for 2019-2021. The implementation of a broad plan of interaction implies education, training, military and military-technical cooperation, in particular, joint maneuvers, participation in mutual large exhibitions, forums, both in Kazakhstan and Russia.
In addition, in recent years, the Unified Regional Air Defense System of Kazakhstan and Russia has been improved. To strengthen this system, Russia supplied Kazakhstan with S-300PS anti-aircraft missile systems free of charge. Also, at the request of the Kazakh side, it withdrew from the lease more than 1.7 million hectares of land that were used in the republic as testing grounds for the Russian military department.
The number of joint combat training activities is increasing, supplies of Russian weapons to Kazakhstan on preferential terms continue, several hundred Kazakh servicemen are studying free of charge at Russian military universities. The training of military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Russia is carried out in accordance with the relevant agreement between the defense ministries signed in August 1992, as well as with the Agreement on the training of military personnel for the CSTO member states of June 23, 2005. Citizens of Kazakhstan make up about a third of all CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) citizens who received military and special education in Russia. The training of citizens of Kazakhstan is carried out according to the same programs with the Russian military personnel. An important aspect is the coordination of possible bilateral actions to respond to security threats in Central Asia. The plan of bilateral cooperation is developed and signed annually and approved by the heads of the defense departments.
Cooperation between the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan and Russia is carried out both on a bilateral basis and in the multilateral formats of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization), SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) and CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia). In 2009, the military component of the CSTO was strengthened, and the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRRF) was created. Participation in the CSTO allowed Kazakhstan and Russia to coordinate the activities of territorial bodies of state power on the most important issues of combating emergency situations, to counter illegal migration and drug trafficking with the involvement of other members of the organization, if necessary. The SCO is not a military-political organization, but based on its statutory goals and objectives, «joint provision and maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region» periodically comes up on the agenda. In addition, a coordinating body for regional security problems has been established within the SCO — the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) operating on a permanent basis in Tashkent. Through the SCO, Kazakhstan is strengthening the organization's anti-terrorist potential, including through participation in joint exercises. Most of the threats to Kazakhstan's security come from the countries adjacent to the Central Asian region. One of the mechanisms to counter these threats is the participation of Kazakhstan and Russia in the work of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). It is an international forum to strengthen cooperation aimed at ensuring peace, security and stability in Asia.
Kazakhstan is today one of the leading partners of Russia in military-technical cooperation in the post-Soviet space, purchasing defense products through Rosoboronexport. Russian enterprises are widely involved in the process of modernization and repair of Kazakhstani military equipment. At the same time, mutually beneficial cooperation between the military-industrial complexes of the two countries is increasing, which contributes, first of all, to the production of joint military products. In particular, the joint venture «Kamaz-Engineering» can be noted, which produced a significant number of vehicles for the needs of the Kazakh army of the republic, thus providing it with a single automotive base.
On the territory of Kazakhstan, there are a number of large enterprises that previously belonged to the union military-industrial complex, which to this day represent a significant potential. Kazakhstan and Russia are interested in developing ties and are considering the possibility of placing new orders at these enterprises not only for their countries, but also for joint exports to third countries.
The military-strategic and peaceful goals of Kazakhstan and Russia contribute to the active joint exploration of outer space. An important component of military-technical cooperation is Russia's active use of the Baikonur cosmodrome. And to this day, it accounts for the majority of all space launches in Russia. In 1994, a Kazakh-Russian agreement was signed on the principles and conditions for using the cosmodrome. Also, since 1997, a joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation has been operating, within the framework of which issues on the Baikonur complex, transport, military-technical cooperation and cross-border activities are discussed. The 1994 agreement on Russia's lease of the Baikonur cosmodrome in 2004 was extended until 2050 on more favorable terms for Kazakhstan. In the same year, an agreement was signed on the creation of the Kazakh-Russian modern rocket and space complex «Baiterek». True, the implementation of the project has been delayed for a number of reasons, and the construction of the complex may begin in late 2020 or early 2021, probably already under the new name «Nazarbayev Start».
Thus, it should be noted that military cooperation between the two allies can be characterized as successful and effective. It is mutually beneficial and contributes to the further strengthening of strategic partnership and the development of joint solutions; it is a real opportunity for countries to coordinate and harmonize, including their foreign policy, in accordance with various internal and external challenges. The existing base of contracts and agreements is a strategically significant example of successful interaction for other countries as well. An analysis of the already available results of Kazakh-Russian military cooperation clearly demonstrates the mutual benefit and provides an optimistic forecast for the prospects for cooperation in the long term.
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