(sda) The organization of the collective security treaty will send peacekeeping troops to Kazakhstan’s request, wrote the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday night on Facebook. Armenia is also a member of the military alliance. The soldiers were to be deployed for a limited period of time “to stabilize and normalize the situation in the country”.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had previously asked the military alliance for help. The unrest that broke out over the weekend was “not a threat, but an undermining of the integrity of the state,” he said.
According to the Kazakh authorities, at least eight police officers and soldiers have already been killed. Several Kazakh Telegram channels published videos on Thursday night that are said to show military action against demonstrators in the urban area of the economic metropolis of Almaty. Shot noises can be heard on the recordings and people screaming.
The chairman of the Russian State Duma committee responsible for affairs of former Soviet republics, Leonid Kalashnikov, had already signaled his support. Russia was obliged to help, for which the alliance was founded, he told the Russian news agency Interfax. The alliance includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for a peaceful solution on Wednesday. Problems had to be solved “within the framework of the constitutional and legal provisions and through dialogue and not through unrest in the streets”. “We hope for a quick normalization of the situation,” it said.
Experts saw Tokayev’s cry for help as a sign that he could no longer rely on his army. As a consequence of the protests, he had already dismissed the government on Wednesday and threatened to crack down on demonstrators.
The unprecedented protests in Kazakhstan broke out out of displeasure at the significantly higher prices for liquefied gas at filling stations. Many Kazakhs use this gas because it is cheaper than gasoline. Many demonstrators also directed their displeasure against the government and blamed them for their poor living conditions because everyday life was becoming more expensive due to high inflation.
The country with more than 18 million inhabitants borders among others with Russia and China. It is rich in oil and gas reserves. The republic is also one of the largest uranium producers in the world. Nevertheless, Kazakhstan is struggling with mismanagement and poverty.
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