Partnership and capabilities on display at the KADEX-2012 Military Exhibition
This year, more than 250 companies from over 20 countries worldwide applied for the participation in the exhibition.
President noted the event is destined to become a platform for effective interaction of manufacturers and consumers of military products from across the world, the Kazakh MFA's press service reports.
Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed the success of the KADEX-2012 will help to bring the military-technical arsenal of Kazakhstan's army in line with international best practice.
"This will allow increasing the defense power of our country and will help strengthening Kazakhstan's positions as a leader and a reliable geopolitical partner in the region. Military security of Kazakhstan is based on the policy of cooperation and good-neighborly relations between the countries, their equality and noninterference into the internal affairs of each other. Our country has always been and will be a supporter of peaceful settlement of international disputes, enhancement of the regional military cooperation based on trust and mutual understanding," Nazarbayev was quoted as saying.
The event started with the demonstration of the Kazakh Army's military equipment. The attendees could see T-72 and T-72B military tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, the Cobra, Tiger and Hammer military armoured vehicles, as well as various modifications of KAMAZ.
The display visitors also had a chance to see the landing of assault squads, attacks as well as clear and coordinated work of snipers. Airmobile troops performed synchronous techniques with weapons and the climax of the programme saw demonstration flights of combat aircraft. The L-39, MiG-29 and Su-27 jet planes performed aerobatics.
A musical parade attended by the combined orchestras of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, Germany, Poland, Tajikistan, India and the United States took place during the exhibition. Together with KADEX-2012, organizers plan to conduct an international brass band festival.
KADEX-2012 has included the presence of an EC725 Cougar-family rotary-wing aircraft for the French Army, along with scale models of its multi-role EC145 and the Tiger attack helicopter.
"With our presence at KADEX-2012, Eurocopter is highlighting the company's deployment of major industrial capacities for the Kazakh aviation industry, laying the groundwork for the development of a new, highly specialized sector in this country," Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter's Senior Vice President for Sales and Customer Relations said earlier this month. "The Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering joint venture is well positioned for future development locally, as we are poised to provide operators with helicopters that are particularly well suited for parapublic missions - including emergency medical services, homeland security and patrol, Corporate and VIP transportation, along with oil and gas industry".
S-295 transport plane displayed by AirbusMilitary was of particular interest among the visitors of the exhibition. This unique aircraft can carry up to 9 tonnes of cargo and take off from unprepared runways, the aircraft also has exceptional performance when operating in hot and cold climates. Kazakhstan became the first CIS country that purchased two examples of this aircraft.
Addressing the participants and guests of KADEX-2012, Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan Adilbek Dzhaksybekov expressed his confidence that the exhibition will strengthen interaction between the armed forces and defense industry sector, providing a platform for creating new business partnerships and expanding the scope of activities and cooperation.
Valeriy Kuchayev, Director of the Radio and Electronic Equipment Repairs Plant, Belarus, said holding these exhibitions is always beneficial both for the government and the regions staging it.
"It is all about finding new contacts and partners including those within the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. We also had common armed forces during Soviet times and we still have that school which is why the exhibition will be useful for everybody," he noted.
As part of the KADEX-2012 exhibition of arms, Nursultan Nazarbayev also met with the defence ministers of the CSTO member states. According to the common opinion of the display participants the implication is that such exhibitions provide an additional impetus to military and technical cooperation, including within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
In the first two days, the participants will hold business meetings, negotiations, and discussions. During the next two days the exhibition will be open for all visitors. Residents and guests of Astana will be able to have a look at the military equipment and weapons. KADEX-2012 is to be officially closed on May 6.
The previous show of arms, held on the same site in 2010, resulted in the signing of over 20 agreements and contracts exceeding 1.5 billion tenge. Now, the Kazakh defence industry has more ambitious plans.
