Kazakhstan to get S-300 air defence systems from Russia

MOSCOW (AFP), brahmand : Russia will deliver its sophisticated S-300 air defence missile system to Kazakhstan in order to bolster the defences of its ex-Soviet Central Asian neighbour, an official said Wednesday.

Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and his Kazakh counterpart Adilbek Dzhaksybekov had discussed the possible delivery of the missiles during talks in Moscow, said Russian defence ministry spokeswoman Irina Kovalchuk.

She said the deal would be in line with "strengthening a shared defence space," in a statement on Russian news agencies.

"At the current time, work is being carried out on the preparation of a corresponding contract," she added.

The S-300 air defence missile system is one of Russia's most prized defence products and its refusal to fulfil a contract to deliver the weapons to Iran has sparked an unprecedented crisis in Moscow-Tehran relations.