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Protests in Kazakhstan

Chinese top diplomat praises CSTO’s efforts in Kazakhstan

Wang Yi positively assessed the CSTO’s measures taken in response to Kazakhstan’s request for assistance in normalizing the situation in the country, the Russian foreign ministry informed after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone call with the Chinese Foreign Minister

MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised the measures taken by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet Russia-led security bloc, amid the developments in Kazakhstan, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone call with Wang Yi.

"Wang Yi positively assessed the CSTO’s measures taken in response to Kazakhstan’s request for assistance in normalizing the situation in the country," it said.

According to the ministry, the two top diplomats also welcomed the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in ensuring security in Eurasia.

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.

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