ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Dauren Kosanov met with members of the third national peacekeeping contingent during a working visit to Almaty as they prepare for deployment to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force mission in the Golan Heights.
Photo credit: gov.kz
The visit also included a presentation of a new defense innovation hub designed to strengthen cooperation between the military, scientists, and technology startups.
The unit’s commander, lieutenant colonel Ilyas Almatov, reported that the personnel are fully prepared for deployment. According to him, training has been conducted in line with international standards, and the contingent is ready to carry out its assigned tasks in the mission area, reported the ministry’s press service on Feb. 23.
Addressing the peacekeepers, Kosanov highlighted the significance of the upcoming mission. He described participation in UN peacekeeping operations as both an honor and a serious responsibility, noting that the Kazakh contingent enjoys the trust and respect of the country’s leadership and the UN mission command. He expressed confidence that the service members would represent Kazakhstan with dignity and continue contributing to stability and security in their area of responsibility.
Currently, 139 Kazakh peacekeepers are deployed on the Golan Heights as part of the UN mission.
Later that day, the Defense Tech office, a multifunctional innovation hub was presented to Kosanov, at the Army House in Almaty.
The Defense Tech office is designed to identify and select promising technological solutions for the defense sector, support projects from early-stage development to prototyping, and prepare them for pilot implementation.
The center also serves as a platform for cooperation between the Defense Ministry, subordinate organizations, the scientific community, and the startup ecosystem, creating conditions for testing and introducing advanced solutions into practical use.
