Askar Shakirov, Deputy Chairman of the senate (lower house) of the Kazakh parliament, has invited representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) to visit the republic to discuss the events of early January, the house press office said.
According to the press service, the deputy senate speaker took part in an online meeting of the OSCE PA bureau.
"The meeting included a discussion of current international issues, including the situation in Kazakhstan. Deputy Chairman of the OSCE PA Askar Shakirov outlined in detail the circumstances related to the tragic January events in the country," the report said.
It is explained that the members of the bureau approved the proposal to hold in February an online briefing on the situation in Kazakhstan for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The European deputies noted "the importance of conducting an objective investigation, the results of which should be presented to the international community."
"Askar Shakirov invited representatives of the OSCE PA to visit Kazakhstan, during which parliamentarians could familiarize themselves with the situation in the country and discuss relevant issues. This proposal was accepted, in connection with which the Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Special Representative for Central Asia Pia Kauma expressed her intention to visit Kazakhstan", the press service informs.
Mass protests in Kazakhstan began in the first days of 2022 - residents of the western cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau protested against a doubling of the price of liquefied natural gas. Later, the protests spread to other cities, including Almaty, the old capital and the largest city of the republic: looting began there, militants attacked state institutions and took weapons. In response, authorities imposed a state of emergency throughout the country until January 19 and launched an anti-terrorist operation. About 1,000 people were injured in the protests in Kazakhstan, according to the UN. The country's prosecutor general's office said 4,578 people were injured in the riots and 225 were killed, including 19 security officers.
On the morning of January 5, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the government and headed the Security Council. At the first meeting of the Security Council under his leadership, Tokayev described the situation in Kazakhstan as undermining the integrity of the state and said that he had asked for help from the CSTO "in overcoming the terrorist threat". The CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send a collective peacekeeping force to Kazakhstan to normalize the situation in the country.
Later, on January 7, Tokayev said that terrorists, including those from abroad, were continuing to resist, and he promised to eliminate those who would not lay down their arms. Moreover, the president noted that all demands of citizens expressed in peaceful forms were heard. The successful conclusion of the CSTO mission was announced on January 13. On Wednesday, January 19, the defense ministry of Kazakhstan said that there were no more foreign soldiers in the republic.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti