Kazakhstan and Italy agree on military transit from Afghanistan

Italy will transit its military property and personnel from Afghanistan via Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports. The respective document was signed in Astana by Kazakhstan and Italian Defense Ministers Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and Giampaolo di Paola. "We have signed the agreement on transit of military property and personnel from Afghanistan via Kazakhstan," Kazakhstan Defense Minister told the journalists. According to the document, after completion of certain legal procedures, Kazakhstan will provide its territory to Italy for transit of its military property and personnel as part of the international forces' peace-keeping and stabilization mission in Afghanistan. The agreement provides for transit of Italian personnel and property by rail and air transport. According to the Kazakhstan Defense Ministry, Kazakhstan already has similar agreements with the U.S., Germany, Spain, Great Britain, France and the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in general. "This agreement is like a continuation of the general agreement signed with Italy. This was the purpose of the trip," Italian Defense Minister Admiral Giampaolo di Paola said. Earlier Tengrinews.kz English reported that transit of French military property and personnel flow via Shymkent airport in the south of Kazakhstan. France has already allocated 150 thousand Euro for the preparatory works. During the meeting Kazakhstan and Italian Ministers also discussed bilateral military cooperation, procurement of new samples of military vehicles, surveillance and communication systems, as well as interaction of their ground forces. By Renat Tashkinbayev