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Protests in Kazakhstan

Kazakh president says had productive conversation with European Council president

The European External Action Service called on Kazakhstan’s authorities to respect people’s right to peaceful protests and "proportionality in the use of force when defending its legitimate security interests"

NUR-SULTAN, January 10. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Monday he has held a productive telephone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel and stressed that the government has taken urgent measures to restore order following the attack on the country’s statehood.

"Productive conversation with eucopresident Charles Michel today. Updated on the situation in Kazakhstan. We faced unprecedented acts of aggression and assault on our statehood, and took urgent measures to restore constitutional order and rule of law," he wrote on his Twitter account.

"We never used and will not use armed force against peaceful protesters. All such allegations are false. Kazakhstan will continue to strengthen partnership with EU," he emphasized.

The European External Action Service called on Kazakhstan’s authorities to respect people’s right to peaceful protests and "proportionality in the use of force when defending its legitimate security interests." "While recognizing the right to peaceful demonstration, the European Union expects that they remain non-violent and avoid any incitement to violence," it said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday expressed concern over the situation in Kazakhstan and called for guaranteeing human rights and people’s security.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings being 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. However, the situation in Almaty is still tense.

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