NUR-SULTAN, January 10. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the swift resolution of the issue of sending a peacekeeping contingent of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to the republic.

"I would like to express the special words of gratitude to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for [his] understanding and the quick resolution of the issue of sending the CSTO peacekeeping contingent to Kazakhstan. With you, esteemed Vladimir Vladimirovich, we have been in constant touch since the first days of the terror attack on our country," the Kazakh president said during an urgent session of the CSTO Collective Security Council held in a video format.

He also thanked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the swift approval of the necessary documents.

The Kazakh leader noted that all CSTO countries formed a united front after Kazakhstan requested their assistance amid mass riots. "In fact, this is the first time when the CSTO’s peacekeeping potential was actually used to ensure the security, stability, and territorial integrity of one of its member states. Apart from the military assistance, it is primarily the moral support of our CSTO partners that is important to us. All the member states formed a united front, strongly supporting Kazakhstan’s request," he emphasized.

According to the Kazakh president, the republic went through a large-scale crisis over the past couple of days. "It turned out to be the most difficult one over the entire thirty-year history of independence," he noted.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings getting ransacked in several cities a few days later. The ensuing violence left scores of people injured, with fatalities also being reported. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) requesting assistance from the Russia-led bloc. As a result, peacekeepers have already been deployed to Kazakhstan. Law and order, Kazakh authorities affirm, was restored to all of the country’s regions by the morning of January 7. The most complex situation remains in Almaty. The Kazakh president declared January 10 the day of national mourning in the republic.