Senate Approves Agreement with Qatar

Kazakhstani senators approved the law on ratification of the “Agreement between Kazakhstan and Qatar on Military Cooperation,” Orda.kz reports. 

The agreement regulates the norms of transit of military assets, logistics, financing, airspace use, and military training grounds. Our soldiers will also be taught Arabic to interact with new allies.

Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alibek Bakayev says soldiers will communicate in four languages: English, Kazakh, Russian, and Arabic. 

The agreement was concluded for five years and will be automatically extended for subsequent five-year periods unless either party notifies of discontinuation.

The agreement between the governments of the two states was concluded in the city of Doha on December 12, 2023. Ratification of the agreement will allow the two states to cooperate in the field of military education, training of military personnel, advanced training of military education, training of military personnel, advanced training of military medicine, military science, holding cultural and sports events and agreed services and work in other areas,  Senator Galiaskar Sarybaev reported. 

Customs clearance, dispute resolution, experience exchange, holding joint exercises, and consultations in peacekeeping and peacekeeping operations are also provided for.

The procedure for making amendments on legal matters is also defined. The agreement allows mutually agreeing on the terms of use of these states' airspace and military training grounds during combat training activities and equipment transit.

The parties will cover all their expenses independently.

On October 9, MP Bakytzhan Bazarbek and Deputy Minister of Defense Darkhan Akhmediyev argued about the agreement. The issue concerned the use of military training grounds by both countries.

Bakytzhan Bazarbek expressed doubts about the agreement's practicality, recalling that the document speaks of the mutual use of military training grounds. However, as the deputy noted, Qatar has no military training grounds, and most of the country's military force comprises foreigners.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov