Russia “gives land” and “takes control” of airspace of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan will reduce the territory of the military polygons leased by the Russian Federation and transfer the released 11,000ha of lands to mineral developers, Okas Saparov, Deputy Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan, told reporters in Astana on September 29.  He said Kazakhstan will take back the lands it needs for agricultural and other purposes. Saparov said that a document on it had already been signed with Russia. It will be submitted to the parliament for ratification after undergoing necessary procedures till the end of the year.

Addressing the Senate Committee for International Relations, Defense and Security on September 29, Okas Saparov said that Russia will provide the Kazakhastan’s Balkhash Center with air defense alerting device under a new agreement with the Russian пovernment on the terms of transfer and use of the Balkhash Center in the Russian system of air defense alerting. The agreement was studied at the enlarged meeting of the Committee on Tuesday. Saparov explained that by the end of 2016, Russia is committed to install the air data terminal that would enable the military administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan to receive data on the means, system of air defense alerting and space tracking system.

On September 16б the Majilisi (lower house of the Kazakhstan parliament) approved a bill on ratification of the agreement with the Russian government on terms of transfer and use of the Balkhash Center in the Russian system of air defense alerting. The bill was submitted to the Senate.

The agreement was signed in Moscow on December 2 2014, as the previous agreement on the terms of maintenance and use of Balkhash Center expired on December 14 2014. It has been applied temporarily since Dec 12 2014.

Balkhash radar station is an element of Russia’s missile warning system. It is located in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. It ensured constant space tracking, automatic detection and tracking of ballistic missiles and space objects, reading of their parameters and data provision to the command points of the missile warning system.

The agreement sets the international and legal bases for the transfer of the Balkhash Center to Russia for exploitation. It establishes new borders of the lands, which the Center is located in, the order of combat duty (including combined duty) etc.

The agreement has provisions on the fields of the Russian-Kazakh cooperation under the agreement, the environmental safety norms, and regulation of the stay of the Russian military and citizens in the territory of Kazakhstan.

The infrastructures and lands of the Balkhash Center are transferred to Russia subject to their purposeful use and provision of data on the means, system of air defense alerting and space tracking system to the military administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In addition, the agreement provides for the terms of gradual transition to combined exploitation of the Center by the authorized agencies of the two countries.