MOSCOW, January 15/ Sputnik Radio. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko commented on the operation of the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Kazakhstan.
On Saturday, the head of state arrived at the airfield, where Belarusian military personnel from the organization's peacekeeping contingent arrived.
He said that the terrorist groups that attacked Kazakhstan "have received special training and have combat experience gained in various hot spots."
The events in Kazakhstan have become another attempt of external interference in internal affairs, and all the threats faced by the republic "are common to most states in the post-Soviet space," the Belarusian leader noted.
Assessing the role of the CSTO peacekeepers, Lukashenko stressed that the prompt response of the collective security forces to the crisis situation is "a signal to everyone who sharpens the sword along the perimeter of the Belarusian-Russian borders."
Protest actions in Kazakhstan began on January 2 against the backdrop of a twofold increase in prices for liquefied petroleum gas, with which many citizens refuel their cars.
The protests turned into riots, looters and radicals became more active, the authorities introduced a state of emergency until January 19 and later asked for help from the CSTO, which sent peacekeepers to Kazakhstan.
On January thirteenth, after the stabilization of the situation, it was announced the successful completion of the CSTO mission and the gradual return of the military to the places of permanent deployment.
Earlier, Sputnik radio reported that the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered the formation of a fund to help citizens.
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