MOSCOW, January 6. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed support for the efforts of Kazakhstan’s leadership on restoring the constitutional order in the republic in a phone conversation on Thursday, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"In relation to the events in Kazakhstan, the ministers expressed support for the efforts of that country’s leadership on restoring the constitutional order. Lavrov informed of the measures undertaken along the lines of the CSTO in response to the Kazakh president’s request on providing assistance to the Kazakh government under the conditions of externally inspired attempts to undermine the security and territorial integrity of the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
The top diplomats also expressed satisfaction with the dynamics of a political dialogue between Moscow and Ankara at the high and highest levels in 2021. "The readiness to continue close contacts between Russia’s and Turkey’s leadership in the new year was confirmed," the statement said.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats also touched on a number of pressing regional issues, including the situation in the Balkans and in the Caucasus.
"Mevlut Cavusoglu touched on the issue of the preparation for the January 12, 2022 meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in order to review the Russian proposals on security guarantees in Europe. Sergey Lavrov confirmed Moscow’s position on the necessity of a serious conversation on this subject with the participation of the military in order to achieve specific results without stalling the process," the ministry reported.
The Russian diplomatic agency added that the conversation was initiated by the Turkish side.
Protest rallies against high fuel prices erupted on January 2 in Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangystau Region in southwestern Kazakhstan. Two days later, the protests engulfed Almaty in the country’s southeast and other cities where the protesters clashed with the police. Casualties were reported, the state of emergency was declared in the country. The CSTO Collective Security Council made the decision to send peacekeepers to Kazakhstan in order to stabilize the situation. First peacekeeping units have already started fulfilling their duties in Kazakhstan.