Thousands of jihadists participated in the events in Kazakhstan and tried to undermine the constitutional order of the country, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Sunday, answering questions from reporters.
"Kazakhstan has been hit by radicals professing a misanthropic ideology. Thousands of jihadists and marauders have tried to undermine the constitutional order. They use weapons against civilians. Damaging public and private property. I would like to note that all this is taking place after the American escape from Afghanistan and the rapid development of extremist ideas and trends in the region," emphasized Antonov, whose words are quoted on the Facebook page of the embassy of Russia.
"The practice of appeasing bandits who attack law enforcement officers, medical workers, firemen is unacceptable for us," the diplomat said. - "What can we talk about with people beheading police officers?! Any negotiations with terrorists only encourage them to commit even more serious crimes. I am sure the State Department is well aware of that, but they do not want to give up their double standards".
"Where did the hordes of terrorists come from to Kazakhstan? Who guided and helped them? This is a new attempt at a color revolution with the help of thugs and robbers. I am sure that Kazakhstan's competent agencies will look into the situation and the roots of terrorism will be uprooted from Kazakhstan's soil," the ambassador added.
CSTO mission
According to the diplomat, the CSTO contingent showed its effectiveness in restoring peace and order from the first hours of its work in Kazakhstan.
"The first hours of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent's work have demonstrated its effectiveness, its focus on the restoration of peace and constitutional order," Antonov stressed.
The diplomat noted that the arrival of the CSTO contingent was fully legitimate and sanctioned by the authorities of that country. "All decisions to send collective forces to Kazakhstan were made on the basis of the statutory documents of the CSTO and at the request of the legitimate president of the country, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Today, all democratic forces in the world need to help the government of Kazakhstan recover from the current turmoil, and not to try to further undermine the situation," the ambassador stressed.
Antonov also recalled the events of a year ago in Washington and the actions of American authorities during the unrest in the capital. "A year ago, when the Capitol was stormed, the US authorities had no doubts about the need to restore order and bring the instigators of the pogrom to justice. The principle of inevitability of punishment, especially in respect of those who attack the lives of innocent people, is fundamental to any state governed by the rule of law," he summarized.
On January 2, protests began in a number of localities in Kazakhstan. Within a few days, they turned into mass riots and attacks on government agencies in many cities of the country. Thousands of people suffered and there were fatalities. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked for help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Peacekeepers have already begun their tasks in Kazakhstan. Constitutional order was generally restored in all regions of the country on January 7, authorities said. Tokayev declared January 10 a day of national mourning.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Valery Sharifulin / TASS
Based on materials from TASS