Kazakhstan to send independent peacekeepers to occupied Golan Heights
Parliament approves presidential proposal on sending 139 peacekeepers to take part in UN Disengagement Observer Force.
A UN observation tower is seen overlooking Syria, next to the Quneitra border crossing between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria. / Photo: Reuters Archive
Kazakhstan will start in March its first independent UN peacekeeping mission in the Middle East, the government announced.
Both chambers of the parliament on Friday voted for the proposal of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to send 139 Kazakh peacekeepers to the Golan Heights in Syria.
Commenting on the parliament's decision, Defence Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov said the peacekeepers will serve as a reserve company of the UN Disengagement Observer Force at the Golan Heights.
"Participation in a peacekeeping mission will allow the armed forces of Kazakhstan to acquire the necessary combat skills characteristic of peacekeeping operations," he said, adding that it is the first time the UN has given Astana an independent mission.
In January, Tokayev proposed to send up to 430 Kazakh peacekeepers to the Middle East and Africa.
Besides, Kazakh peacekeepers are expected to take part in the UN Truce Supervision Organisation, Mission in South Sudan and Interim Security Force for Abyei.
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