MOSCOW, January 5. /TASS/. Moscow is closely watching the events in Kazakhstan and is calling for a peaceful solution to problems in the neighboring country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We are closely following the events in the fraternal neighboring state. We are calling for a peaceful solution to all problems in the framework of the Constitution and the law, and dialogue, and not through street riots and the violation of laws," the statement said.

The foreign ministry noted that the measures taken by the Kazakh leadership were aimed at this. "The steps taken by the Kazakh President Tokayev seek to stabilize the situation, promptly solving existing problems <…>," according to the ministry.

"We hope that the situation in the country, which has relations of strategic partnership and alliance, fraternal, human contacts with Russia, will stabilize as soon as possible," the foreign ministry went on to say.

Furthermore, the diplomatic service mentioned that it was in close contact with Russia’s foreign missions. "The situation near the buildings of our diplomatic and consular missions remains calm. According to the latest data, no casualties on the Russian side were recorded in Kazakhstan. We are closely monitoring the situation," the ministry stated.

On January 2, crowds took to the streets in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangistau region, protesting against high fuel prices. Two days later, the protests engulfed Almaty, where the police used flashbangs to disperse the crowd, as well as other cities, including Atyrau, Aktobe, Uralsk, Taraz, Shymkent, Kyzylorda, Karaganda and even Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. The president imposed a two-week state of emergency and a curfew in the country’s largest city of Almaty and the southwestern Mangistau Province early on Wednesday. The head of the state also accepted the government’s resignation. Its members will continue to perform their tasks until a new cabinet is formed.