Kazakhstan’s Parliament Approves a Joint Communication System for CIS Members

Today on September 22, Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the parliament, has approved a draft law on ratification of the agreement on the joint communication system of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) members.

According to Timur Dandybayev, a deputy minister of defense in Kazakhstan, who has presented a draft law to the parliament, the agreement implies the creation of a joint communication system for CIS armies. The document was signed on May 29, 2020, and requires CIS military agencies to share information and support the proper work of joint interaction systems within the CIS military alliance.

A new joint communication system is needed for better compatibility of different national communication systems within the organization. This type of communication is also necessary for secure links between state members.

The new system based on common technology and equipment will raise the combat effectiveness of the CIS armies, added Dandybayev. He also noted that the move won’t require any extra costs or cause judicial and economic consequences.

Currently, the army of Kazakhstan has its national communication system with a variety of tools and once the agreement is approved, all those systems will match each other.

«In this case, Russia is ready to provide us with new communication tools; they will be used for communication within CIS and won’t affect our current communication system for troop command and control. For that purpose we have another system for command and control; it works separately,» Dandybayev highlighted.

In turn, Adilbek Sarsembayev, a vice minister of industry and infrastructural development told the parliament that there are eight enterprises in Kazakhstan, which produce communication tools.

«They produce different types of communication tools but all of them are compatible with those in other CIS countries. Therefore, we are ready to produce any new type of radio equipment,» he said.

The deputy minister of defense also noted that Kazakhstan is preparing communication specialists on its own in the Military Engineering Institute of Radio Electronics and Communications in Almaty. Moreover, young people from Kazakhstan are studying in military academies in Russia.

Russian State Duma has also ratified an agreement on military cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan. Both countries are now obliged to not spy against each other and to provide any help including military assistance if needed.