(MENAFN) Kazakhstan declared on Friday that it is halting its involvement in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), a move formalized by a presidential decree signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and posted on the official presidential website.

The CFE Treaty, initially signed in Paris in November 1990 by representatives from 16 NATO member states and six Warsaw Pact countries, established limits on military hardware, including battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery systems of 100 mm or greater, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters, across the European theater stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains. The treaty eventually attracted 28 signatory nations.

An updated version of the pact was introduced at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Istanbul in 1999. However, only Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine ratified the revised agreement.

Russia previously suspended its participation in the CFE Treaty in 2007 and officially withdrew in 2023, citing that NATO’s expansion had exceeded the treaty’s prescribed limits and that proposed amendments to the treaty were not agreed upon.

Following Russia’s criticisms, NATO members moved to suspend Moscow’s participation in the treaty indefinitely. Subsequently, countries including Belarus, Ukraine, Türkiye, Hungary, and Moldova made similar decisions to halt their involvement.

MENAFN22112025000045017169ID1110381776