Clashes between peacekeepers and armed bandits and terrorists during the mission of the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) It did not happen in Kazakhstan. This was announced on Friday, January 14, by the Secretary General of the organization Stanislav Zas.
He noted that the appearance of peacekeepers entailed "some kind of sobering effect" in the republic, and suggested that "some hotheads have cooled down, realizing that nothing will pass there."
"During these days, when the peacekeeping operation was carried out, there were no direct clashes with armed bandits or terrorists at those facilities that were taken under the protection of peacekeepers," the CSTO Secretary General said in an interview with RT.
According to the Secretary General of the organization, the attitude of local residents to the peacekeepers was good and people reacted with understanding to the arrival of the peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan.
"They probably understood that they had come to help them in this difficult situation. Therefore, there was an appropriate attitude towards the peacekeepers," Zas said.
He also clarified that there was not a single clash between the peacekeepers and the local population.
Earlier, on January 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a working meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, said that the CSTO peacekeeping forces played a very important role in stabilizing the situation in Kazakhstan. Shoigu said that the withdrawal of the peacekeeping contingent of the CSTO countries should be completed on January 19, according to the website aif.ru .
On January 2, protests began in Kazakhstan due to rising prices for liquefied natural gas. In some cities, the rallies turned into riots. The situation has especially worsened in the largest city of the country — Alma-Ata.
Radical rioters broke into the administration building, set fire to the prosecutor's office, the office of the ruling party and seized the presidential residence. During the riots in Kazakhstan, 17 security officers were killed, two of them were beheaded.
According to the President of the Republic Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, those who seized government institutions are groups of terrorists who have received serious training abroad. The commandant's office of Alma-Ata also stated that the brutal actions of the attackers indicate the terrorist and extremist nature of the gangs.
For help in overcoming the terrorist threat, the President of the republic turned to the CSTO (which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia). Collective peacekeeping forces were sent to Kazakhstan, which secured a number of strategic facilities. On January 12, the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan was completed. According to the leader of the republic, the stay of the CSTO peacekeepers allowed to stabilize the situation in the country, the mission's activities were very successful.
