NUR-SULTAN, January 12. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev confirmed that the withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent from Kazakhstan will begin on January 13 at a meeting of the emergency operations center in Almaty, the presidential press service reported on Wednesday.

"Tomorrow, the organized pullout of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent will begin. I held talks with the leaders of states involved. Using the opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the contingent’s commandment for work accomplished over these several days. The presence itself of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan, including Almaty, played a very big part from the point of view of stabilizing the situation in our country," the Kazakh leader said.

According to him, this had a great psychological significance in deflecting the aggression of terrorists and bandits. "The mission is assessed as a very successful one. I once again express gratitude to my colleagues - the heads of state," the Kazakh president stressed.

According to the press service, during the meeting the president received a report that "thanks to his decision on sending additional forces to Almaty, including the CSTO peacekeeping contingent, the city was saved and fought off the terrorists." According to the head of Almaty’s administration Bakytzhan Sagintayev, all heat, energy, water and gas supply facilities in the city are functioning as normal. Retail and catering facilities, markets, gas stations and industrial enterprises are resuming operations, public transportation has been begun running again.

"The president instructed the government commission together with Almaty’s authorities to restore infrastructure objects as quickly as possible, including the buildings of state agencies, law enforcement and special structures, video surveillance systems. Additionally, support will be provided to affected entrepreneurs," the press service specified.

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.