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President Tokayev says the “counter-terrorism” operation will end soon after bloody protests.
Then More than 160 people were killed In the deadliest unrest since Kazakhstan’s independence more than 30 years ago, its president on Monday called protests a “coup attempt” for Russia’s victory in defending its Central Asian neighbor.
Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) network, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that order has been restored in the wider Central Asian nation.
More than a dozen civilians and more than a dozen security forces were killed last week as fuel disagreements began to escalate, and nearly 8,000 people were arrested.
“In the form of spontaneous protests, a wave of unrest broke out … It became clear that the main goal was to weaken the constitutional order and seize power. We are talking about an attempted coup, ”Tokayev told the CSTO, and as the crisis spread, he sent troops to Kazakhstan at his request.
The Kazakh president, who has lashed out at “bandits and terrorists” trained abroad, said a major “counter-terrorism” operation would soon be completed, with the deployment of the CSTO, which included 2,030 soldiers and 250 military personnel. hardware.
He also defended the decision to invite Russian– He took the troops to the country and said that the doubts about the legitimacy of this mission were due to a lack of information.
Along with Tokayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military alliance of former Soviet states had prevented “terrorists, criminals, looters and other criminal elements” from undermining Kazakhstan’s power base and said his troops would withdraw when their mission ended. .
“Of course, we understand that the events in Kazakhstan are not far from the last attempt to intervene externally in the internal affairs of our states,” he said. “The measures taken by the CSTO have clearly shown that we will not allow the situation to shake up at home.”
He said the CTSO would not allow “color revolutions” to be made, referring to several popular revolutions in the former Soviet countries over the past two decades, including Ukraine and Georgia.
Days of restlessness
Protests began in Kazakhstan rising fuel prices Before turning into more widespread anti-government incidents, driven by disagreements political influence Former longtime president, 81-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev, shakes hands.
The deadliest clashes between protesters and security forces took place in the country’s largest city, Almaty, killing more than 100 people.
“The main blow was directed against Almaty. The collapse of this city would pave the way for a densely populated south and then the entire country, ”Tokayev told CSTO.
“Then they intended to take the capital,” he added, referring to Nur-Sultan, who bears Nazarbayev’s name.
Tokayev said Kazakhstan, a former Soviet-controlled state, would provide evidence to the international community about what had happened.
He has yet to provide evidence to promote the involvement of outside actors in the riots.
Al Jazeera’s Robin Forestier-Walker, an expert on Central Asian reporting from the Georgian capital Tbilisi, said: that was more of an internal affair, and an elite power struggle to control Kazakhstan. ”
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