In view of the crisis in Kazakhstan, according to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a long phone call with the Kazakh head of state Kassym-Shomart Tokayev. Putin supports Tokayev’s proposal to hold a video summit in the coming days with the heads of state and government of a Russian-led military alliance, a message from the Kremlin said today.
After strong unrest, Tokayev asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, for help. According to the alliance, a total of around 2,500 foreign soldiers were to be sent to the Central Asian ex-Soviet republic.
Lukashenko also involved
The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko had also spoken to Tokayev this morning on the phone. In addition, according to the Kremlin, Putin and Lukashenko also spoke to each other. One and a half years ago, Lukashenko, referred to as the “last dictator in Europe”, often brutally suppressed even peaceful mass protests critical of the government.
Kazakhstan, which borders Russia and China, has been experiencing the worst riots in years for days. Displeasure over the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations turned into protests once morest the government. Tokayev dismissed the government, declared a state of emergency and asked a Russian-led military alliance for help. Above all, his order to shoot demonstrators caused international horror. According to official information, more than 40 deaths have already occurred.
In the meantime, ex-prime minister Karim Massimov has been arrested on suspicion of high treason. Massimov was most recently head of the National Security Committee (KNB).
