MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Russia supports Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his intention to carry out a thorough investigation of the January riots in the Central Asian republic, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with TASS, stressing the importance to locate and neutralize all militants who may still be hiding.

"We have no fears that the tragic events of January in Kazakhstan may repeat," the diplomat said. "We support President Tokayev, who intends to conduct a thorough investigation into the events and to punish the organizers of this inhuman attack on the country. It is also important to locate and neutralize all the militants who may still be hiding in Kazakhstan."

The deputy foreign minister pointed out that based on the results of those events, the republic's leadership also planned a number of significant reforms "in the socio-economic sphere." "This is a step in the right direction," the diplomat said.

According to Syromolotov, the effectiveness of using the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces for the stabilization of the situation in Kazakhstan has confirmed "the need for close anti-terrorist cooperation and coordination between the member states of the international organizations operating in the post-Soviet space."

"In this context, I would like to emphasize that the CIS, whose member states are united by relations of strategic partnership, remains a unique and very effective platform for a trust-based professional exchange of views and joint actions in the sphere of counteracting new challenges and threats to security," he noted.

The diplomat underlined that the constructive work of the CIS is encouraged by a "solid legal basis (about 20 treaties) on combating terrorism, as well as the corresponding program of cooperation of the CIS member states in 2020-2022, which includes interaction with countries outside the CSTO."

Events in Kazakhstan

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2 to grow into mass riots with attacks on government buildings in many cities several days later. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described this as a government coup attempt and turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) requesting assistance from the Russia-led alliance. The situation was stabilized by January 7 and the state of emergency was lifted on January 19. The authorities say the unrest left 225 dead and more than 4,500 injured.

The CSTO’s Collective Peacekeeping Forces were sent to Kazakhstan in accordance with the decision of the Collective Security Council adopted on January 6. The CSTO peacekeeping contingent stayed in Kazakhstan until January 19. According to the republic's authorities, this experience demonstrated the viability and the effectiveness of the organization and its ability to act swiftly.