Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Kazakhstan with the leaders of the CSTO. He also spoke with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. During the conversation, they named the main task of the peacekeepers who have already arrived in the republic to settle the riots. Telephone talks were held between Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko and Chairman of the CSTO Collective Security Council, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, on the issue of resolving the situation in Kazakhstan. There, the protests turned into riots.
As stated in the message of Lukashenka's press service, during the conversation the parties discussed the tasks of the peacekeeping mission.
“Concerning the topic of the activities of the CSTO peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan, the leaders emphasized during their conversations that one of their main tasks was to prevent the penetration of bandit formations into Kazakhstan from the outside,” the statement says.
This task is explained by the desire to provide the residents of Kazakhstan with the opportunity to "solve their internal problems by themselves." The press service also added that first Lukashenka phoned Pashinyan, and then Putin.
The website of the Russian presidential administration indicates that the head of state also discussed the emergency situation in Kazakhstan with the head of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, as well as with the head of the Armenian government Nikol Pashinyan.
In addition, Putin repeatedly spoke on the phone with the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev.
“They discussed the situation in the republic, joint actions within the framework of the CSTO mandate to combat international terrorism and to ensure order and security of citizens of Kazakhstan,” the Kremlin's website says.
In parallel with this, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reports to Putin on how the country's peacekeeping forces are being transferred to Kazakhstan and how the military are coping with their tasks.
Protests have been held in Kazakhstan since the beginning of January. Dissatisfied residents of the country came out to the squares of several large cities to express their dissatisfaction with the cost of gas for cars, which doubled to 120 tenge. In addition, Kazakhstanis believe that Tokayev remained only a nominal president throughout his reign, and the first head of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, continued to rule. The protesters also demanded the resignation of the government.
Tokayev made concessions: he launched a program to reduce gas prices, disbanded the government, and also dismissed Nazarbayev.
But the strikes did not stop. Moreover, four days later they turned into riots. The protesters, whom Tokayev called "real terrorists" on January 5, ransacked shops, cafes, banks, and central television channels of the republic. The greatest pogroms took place in the former capital of the country - Alma-Ata.
The authorities of the republic believe that the "attack on the country" was organized by "bandits" who were trained abroad. “It is critically important to understand why the state“ slept through ”the underground preparations for terrorist attacks by the militants' sleeping cells. Alma-Ata alone was attacked by 20,000 bandits, ”Tokayev said on January 7. His speech was broadcasted by the Khabar 24 TV channel.
In Alma-Ata, as reported by "Sputnik Kazakhstan", "the mopping-up of armed pogromists continues." “The sounds of individual shots are sometimes heard there,” the message says. At the same time, "the situation in the central part of the metropolis is quite calm."
In connection with the unstable situation in the country, Tokayev turned to his allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The leaders of the countries (the agreement was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan) collectively decided to bring peacekeepers into the republic.
The contingent is brought in to stabilize and normalize the situation. They will be present in the country for a limited period. At the same time, they will not interact with the protesters - they only guard the military and other state facilities. The UN and OSCE are aware of the dispatch of peacekeeping forces.
bbabo.Net