Kazakh President Tokayev Says Asked CSTO for Assistance in Tackling Terrorist Aggression
19:38 GMT 05.01.2022 (Updated: 10:49 GMT 06.01.2022)
© Sputnik / Evgeny Biyatov
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Wednesday that he had reached out to the leaders of member-states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) asking for assistance in tackling terrorist aggression in the republic.
"Terrorist gangs are international, they have underwent extensive training abroad and their attack on Kazakhstan can and should be viewed as an act of aggression. [...] In this regard and relying on the Collective Security Treaty, today I reached out to the heads of the CSTO member-states to assist Kazakhstan in overcoming this terrorist threat," Tokayev said on the air of the Kazakh TV channel Khabar 24.
According to Tokayev, "gangs" seized control over large objects, including planes. The president also called the protests in the country an act of aggression and an attack on citizens' safety.
"The terrorist gangs are, in essence, international, they went through serious training abroad and their attack on Kazakhstan can and should be considered an act of aggression," Tokayev said.
"The terrorist gangs are, in essence, international, they went through serious training abroad and their attack on Kazakhstan can and should be considered an act of aggression," Tokayev said.
Earlier in the day, Kazakhstan declared a nationwide state of emergency.
The measure was introduced amid ongoing protests against the government, sparked by a liquefied gas prices hike.
The TV channel Mir 24 posted on Telegram that airports in Kazakh cities of Aktau and Almaty suspended their work amid mass protests in the republic. A source familiar with the sutiation told Sputnik that the Almaty aiport had been seized by protesters.
Protests in the oil-producing Mangystau region of Kazakhstan originated in the initial days of 2022 after a twofold increase in liquefied gas prices went into force on January 1. Despite the government's attempts to resolve the issue, the protests turned into violent clashes with law enforcement officers, and activists are storming government buildings and media offices in Kazakhstan's biggest city of Almaty.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took over as head of the Security Council and promised a harsh response to violent protesters.
The measure was introduced amid ongoing protests against the government, sparked by a liquefied gas prices hike.
The TV channel Mir 24 posted on Telegram that airports in Kazakh cities of Aktau and Almaty suspended their work amid mass protests in the republic. A source familiar with the sutiation told Sputnik that the Almaty aiport had been seized by protesters.
Protests in the oil-producing Mangystau region of Kazakhstan originated in the initial days of 2022 after a twofold increase in liquefied gas prices went into force on January 1. Despite the government's attempts to resolve the issue, the protests turned into violent clashes with law enforcement officers, and activists are storming government buildings and media offices in Kazakhstan's biggest city of Almaty.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took over as head of the Security Council and promised a harsh response to violent protesters.
