KAZAKH LEADER SAYS SAPPER BATTALION TO STAY IN IRAQ
Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
1 Sep 05
Astana, 1 September: Kazakhstan does not intend to pull out its sapper
battalion from Iraq, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said.
“I have had to discuss repeatedly our foreign political priorities
lately. They will remain unchanged. We are using this approach indeed
to consider the continuation of our sapper battalion’s mission to
help the Iraqi people,” the president said in Astana today, opening
a regular parliament session.
“They (Kazakh peacekeepers) are there to save people’s lives though
the number of the international coalition members has been reduced
lately,” Nazarbayev said.
The Kazakh sapper battalion of 27 people has been in Iraq since August
2003 in rotation. They are mainly engaged in mine sweeping.
“In the same way, we deem it very important to be an active member of
the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization comprising Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan] and the SCO
[Shanghai Cooperation Organization including China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan] while deepening cooperation
with our closest neighbours,” the president said.
“Kazakhstan remains an active supporter of wide international
cooperation aimed at nuclear proliferation, fighting international
terrorism, religious extremism and drug trafficking and other
present-day threats,” the president noted.
“Developing cooperation with Russia, China, the USA and the European
Union is a priority direction for us,” the president said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress