MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) peacekeeping forces’ coordinated efforts helped stabilize the situation in Kazakhstan at the start of 2022, thus, this endeavor has confirmed the high efficiency and maturity of the organization, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a welcome letter sent to the participants and organizers of the Valdai Club-hosted conference dubbed "Collective Security in a New Era: Experience and Prospects of the CSTO". The letter was read out by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin on Wednesday.
"I state with satisfaction that over the past years, the CSTO has established itself as an important factor in regional and international security in general," the statement reads. "The coordinated actions of the peacekeeping forces aimed at assisting Kazakhstan in stabilizing the domestic political situation clearly reflect its maturity and high efficiency," the letter noted.
The top diplomat noted that in this context that the conference’s relevance acquires a special significance. "You will have not only to analyze the accumulated experience of interaction within the organization but also to consider the prospects of strengthening the cooperation of the member states amid the mounting challenges and threats," he added.
"I expect that the discussions will constructively take place and will make it possible to work out practical recommendations in the interests of ensuring the peaceful and stable development of all the states and peoples of Eurasia," Lavrov’s letter concluded.
Protests broke out in the Mangystau Region as well as in other Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots and attacks against police and military personnel, with government buildings getting ransacked across several cities a few days later. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev claimed that it was an attempted insurrection. By January 7, the situation had stabilized, and on January 19, the state of emergency was canceled in all the country’s regions. According to the authorities, more than 4,500 people were injured in the failed coup, and some 225 people were killed.