LUkashenko said that the organizers of the riots in Kazakhstan wanted to weaken Russia. According to the president, the protests in Kazakhstan are an attempt of external interference in the internal affairs of independent states. He noted that such threats are common to countries in the post-Soviet space
The protest actions that took place in Kazakhstan are another attempt to “blow up the situation” and destabilize the situation on the perimeter of Russia. This was stated by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with the peacekeeping contingent that completed the mission in Kazakhstan, BelTA reports. The military contingent of the CSTO forces of Belarus returned from Kazakhstan a day earlier. The meeting took place at the Machulishchi military airfield near Minsk.
“The organizers of the mutiny [in Kazakhstan] intended to blow up the situation in this Central Asian republic and generally destabilize the situation around the perimeter of Russia in order to weaken our main ally,” Lukashenko said.
The President noted that the events in Kazakhstan are an attempt of external interference in the internal affairs of independent states, and the threats faced by the country are common to most states in the post-Soviet space.
Lukashenko also said that the operation of the CSTO forces in Kazakhstan is a signal to everyone who is sharpening the sword along the perimeter of the Belarusian-Russian border.
Tokayev appealed to the CSTO for support against the background of mass riots in Kazakhstan, which followed protests against a sharp rise in prices for liquefied natural gas. He stated that the protests were organized by external forces. On January 9, the CSTO forces completed the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in the country. The peacekeepers guarded, among other things, communications and energy facilities.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) includes six states – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. According to Article 4 of the CSTO agreement, member states of the organization can provide assistance, including military assistance, to a country if it has been attacked from outside.
The withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent from Kazakhstan began on January 13, after President Tokayev announced the completion of their mission. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, all CSTO peacekeepers must leave Kazakhstan by January 19.
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After the protests in Kazakhstan, the authorities estimated the amount of damage at $2–3 billion. 9.9 thousand people were detained, 494 criminal cases were opened. Of these, 44 criminal cases were initiated under articles on terrorism, 34 on riots, and another 15 on murders.
The exact number of victims is still unknown. The agency “Sputnik Kazakhstan” wrote about 164 dead, but the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan denied this information. Earlier in the day, Tokayev instructed to establish the exact number of deaths, as well as to carry out reforms in the country’s national security system.
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