United-2024 joint military exercise unites Turkic World

On the shores of the Caspian Sea, military units from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan participated in the official opening ceremony for the “United-2024” joint military exercise.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan, the ceremony took place in the port city of Aktau on the Caspian Sea coast. Military units from the five participating countries, delegation heads, and commanders and personnel of the Kazakh Armed Forces attended the event.

The military units participating in the exercise marched with their flags as the national anthems of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan played during the ceremony. The crews of the Kazakh and Azerbaijani warships also greeted the local residents watching from the port.

In his speech at the ceremony, the First Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff of Kazakhstan Lt. Gen. Sultan Kamaletdinov, emphasized the close and friendly relations between the participating countries, characterized by mutual trust.

Kamaletdinov pointed out that the exercise would enhance the coherence of military command and control structures, allowing for the testing of combat methods to eliminate illegal armed groups while fulfilling combat training missions. He noted that military units from four Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan are participating in this first-ever exercise. It is proof of our states’ desire to further expand and strengthen beneficial neighborly relations, including ensuring security and stability.”