NUR-SULTAN. Oct 16 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Kazakh Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev signed an interstate treaty on bilateral military cooperation in Nur-Sultan on Friday.
It is "an unprecedented document," the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters.
"An intergovernmental agreement is normally signed in such situations; in this case, an interstate treaty on military cooperation has been signed, which is a lot higher in terms of significance and importance," the Defense Ministry said.
Shoigu and Yermekbayev also signed a plan of cooperation between the two countries' defense ministries for 2021, which "is much broader in all sections than the plan for this year," the ministry said. "The range of events is much broader. It indicates strategic partnership between the countries in the military sphere," it said.
The press service for the Kazakh Defense Ministry said the defense ministers of Kazakhstan and Russia signed an updated treaty on military cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation following the meeting.
According to the Kazakh Defense Ministry, its entry into force will terminate the treaty between Kazakhstan and Russia on military cooperation of March 28, 1994, the main provisions of which have been implemented.
In accordance with the interstate documents signed in previous years and in accordance with the provisions of the updated treaty, military cooperation takes place across a broad range and includes military education and the training of personnel, the supply of weapons and equipment, participation in joint bilateral and multilateral exercises, and combat training events, the Defense Ministry said.
"The updated treaty also comprises new tracks and forms of interaction, which include peacekeeping activities, interaction in international organizations, countering challenges and threats to regional security, and culture and sports," the ministry said.