In the framework of the UN Symposium on Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping, held for the first time in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Beibut Atamkulov, met with Atul Hare, the Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Department of Field Support and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, reports the press service of MFA.
The meeting saw the sides discussed the international initiatives of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, the state and prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN in the field of peacekeeping, especially a number of proposals aimed at further enhancing the participation of Kazakhstan in UN peacekeeping missions.
The Foreign Minister highlighted that Kazakhstan is the largest supplier of peacekeeping forces in the CIS space. In 2018, Kazakhstan for the first time sent 120 servicemen to the Indo-Kazakhstan peacekeeping battalion to the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
High-level representatives of the United Nations highly appreciated the participation of Kazakhstan in peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations and noted the country's significant contribution to improving the effectiveness of peacekeeping activities. “Joint work with the Indian battalion in Lebanon is an innovative form of cooperation in this field. We want to deepen our cooperation with your country," said Mr. Lacroix.
The issue of increasing the effectiveness of peacekeeping activities through partnership between states, organizations, enterprises, and academia, and the use of new technologies is covered in the reports of the Symposium, which is attended by representatives of the UN Secretariat and over 250 delegates from 50 countries.
Seminars for domestic manufacturers on UN procurement for peacekeeping purposes, as well as an exhibition of Kazakh defense products, applicable for peacekeeping operations, will be held on the margins of the international conference in Nur-Sultan and Almaty on May 29-31.
This event will provide a unique opportunity for foreign delegations to get acquainted with modern technologies for peacekeeping.