Kazakh armed forces to improve their image by 2015-minister

KIEV, September 16 (Itar-Tass) - Kazakhstan's armed forces will
sufficiently improve their image by 2015, Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek
Dzhaksybekov said at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Mikhail
Yezhel on Thursday.
According to the press service of the republic's Defense Ministry,
"Adilbek Dzhaksybekov informed Ukrainian representatives on the
modernization of the Kazakh armed forces."
"Now we go on upgrading our armed forces and improving the qualitative
parameters, which will allow to change the image of the Kazakh army by
2015," Dzhaksybekov said.
"We are fulfilling the strategic tasks set to us by the president
concerning the creation of professional rapid deployment armed forces in
compliance with the highest international standards. Coping with such
tasks will be impossible without support from our partners and without
studying advanced foreign experience," the defense minister said.
At the same time he remarked that "the level of bilateral military
interaction does not correspond to the current potential." Dzhaksybekov
said, "Kazakhstan is interested in establishing bilateral ties with key
Ukrainian defense companies."
The two defense ministers considered the possibility of setting up a
joint venture to repair and upgrade tanks and armoured personnel carriers
and eventual transfer of technologies and exchanges of experience.
"It is very important for us to attract foreign arms manufacturers
into the production of military hardware at joint ventures," Dzhaksybekov
said.

-0-gor/str