AKIPRESS.COM - Tajikistan and Kazakhstan plan to join the Kazakhstan-Russia joint air defense system in future, Asia-Plus  cited Deputy Defense Minister of Kazakhstan Okas Saparov at a session of the Senate Committee for International Relations, Defense and Security.

The main goal of creating a joint air defense system would be to protect the airspace of the states and defend their territorial integrity and independence, Saparov explained.

“In times of peace, the Joint Air Defense Shield will fulfill only its routine duties and will be controlled by the national command centers. In times of war, it will tackle combat tasks under the control of one commander,” he added.

The command center of the Joint Air Defense Shield is expected to be placed in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and its commander will be a Kazakh representative.