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OSCE head calls for de-escalation of situation in Kazakhstan

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau emphasized that the problem could not be solved by violence

VIENNA, January 5. / TASS /. OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau called for de-escalation of the situation in Kazakhstan, emphasizing that the problem could not be solved by violence.

"As Chairman of the OSCE, I closely follow recent developments in Kazakhstan. Violence is never a right response to resolve the current challenges. I call for de-escalation of the situation and starting a dialogue with full respect of the OSCE commitments," the OSCE head stated on his Twitter page.

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.