The main mission of the CSTO peacekeeping forces has been successfully completed, a phased withdrawal of the united peacekeeping contingent will begin in two days, said President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, speaking to parliament members, RIA Novosti writes.
“The main mission of the CSTO peacekeeping forces has been successfully completed, in two days a phased withdrawal of the united CSTO peacekeeping contingent will begin. The process of withdrawing the contingent will take no more than 10 days, ”the President of Kazakhstan said.
On January 5, Tokayev appealed to the CSTO with a request to provide assistance to stabilize the situation in the country. Street demonstrations began in western Kazakhstan on January 2 due to a sharp increase in prices for liquefied gas, after which they spread to large cities. The demonstrations soon escalated into armed clashes with the police and looting. The protesters, who are called terrorists by the authorities, made several attempts to storm administrative buildings and police departments, and briefly seized the Almaty international airport.
The day before, the National Security Committee of the Republic (KNB) reported that the situation in Kazakhstan had been stabilized. The country’s Interior Ministry has reported nearly 10 thousand detained protesters. There is no official data on the deaths and injuries during the riots yet.
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