139 servicemen from Kazakhstan will take part in the mission of the UN Observation Force in the Golan Heights
139 servicemen from Kazakhstan will take part in the mission of the UN Observation Force in the Golan Heights
The Parliament of Kazakhstan has approved the deployment of a peacekeeping force consisting of 139 military personnel for the United Nations (UN) Ceasefire Monitoring Force (UNDOF) mission in the Golan Heights.
The Parliament of Kazakhstan has approved the deployment of a peacekeeping force consisting of 139 military personnel for the United Nations (UN) Ceasefire Monitoring Force (UNDOF) mission in the Golan Heights.
At a joint session of the Parliament and the Senate, a draft resolution of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on sending troops abroad as part of a peacekeeping mission was put to the vote.
The proposal to take part in UN peacekeeping missions in the Middle East and South Sudan for about 430 Kazakhstani servicemen was unanimously approved.
The resolution, which explained that the UN authorized Kazakhstan to carry out an independent peacekeeping mission, noted the following:
"I propose to gradually expand the geography of participation of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan in UN peacekeeping missions, and in this context to send a peacekeeping contingent of about 430 troops to the UN Ceasefire Monitoring Force in the Golan Heights, the UN Ceasefire Monitoring Organization between Israel and Palestine (UNTSO), the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA)."
The resolution stated that 6 Kazakh officers are currently serving in Western Sahara, 2 in the Central African Republic, 2 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 9 in Lebanon as part of the missions of the UN peacekeeping mission, and states: "In the context of growing geopolitical tensions, new risks for regional and national security are emerging, some of which may require military intervention. Therefore, it is especially important to further strengthen the combat readiness of the troops and gain practical experience in dealing with modern threats," the message says.
In addition, the resolution indicated that the first national peacekeeping forces of Kazakhstan would be sent to the Golan Heights, and also estimated that "it is particularly noteworthy that the first independent unit of the national peacekeeping forces, consisting of 139 military personnel, was sent to the mission of the UN Observation Forces in the Golan Heights as a reserve unit with its own military equipment and with weapons."