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CSTO presence in Kazakhstan was short, but efficient, Tokayev says

On Wednesday, the last Russian peacekeeping forces departed to Moscow

NUR-SULTAN, January 19. /TASS/. The presence of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan was short, but efficient, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s press office said after Tokayev’s meeting with the Ministry of Defense top officials Wednesday.

"The CSTO peacekeeping contingent focused on supply and cover functions, and its stay in Kazakhstan was short, but efficient, and it also demonstrated the potential of the CSTO itself," Tokayev said.

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.

On Wednesday, Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the last Russian peacekeeping forces, led by Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov, departed from Kazakhstan to Moscow.