The United Nations called on the conflicting parties in Kazakhstan to exercise restraint, encourage dialogue and avoid violence. On Friday, the United Nations called for respect for human rights and international standards when imposing order in this country, which has been witnessing unrest and violence for nearly a week.
At a press conference held in New York on Friday, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, called on the authorities in Kazakhstan to respect human rights and international standards, commenting on Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s directive to the security and army forces to kill what he described as “terrorists” without warning.
For its part, Russia said that what is happening in Kazakhstan is a “supported attempt from abroad to undermine security”, and declared that it supports a peaceful solution to all problems in this country within the framework of the law and through dialogue, not through street protests and violation of the law.
On Friday, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that his country was confident in Kazakhstan’s ability to deal with its problems.
America is watching
Kazakhstan is witnessing confrontations between security forces and demonstrators, following the outbreak of unprecedented protests last Sunday, due to the increase in fuel prices at the beginning of this year.
The protests intensified last Wednesday when protesters stormed public buildings – in areas including Almaty, the country’s largest city – and set them on fire.
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken – in a call with his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tlioberdi – renewed the United States’ full support for Kazakhstan’s constitutional institutions and media freedom, and called for a peaceful solution to the crisis that respects rights.
However, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the administration of President Joe Biden is monitoring the situation in Kazakhstan. It is also closely monitoring reports that the Collective Security Treaty Organization has sent troops to this country.
Saki added – in her daily press statement – that there are questions about the nature of these forces, and the legality of their deployment, noting that the situation in Kazakhstan will not affect the talks with Moscow, which are scheduled for next Monday.
peacekeeping forces
The Kazakh authorities said earlier that a peacekeeping force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization – which Tokayev had requested this week – is currently arriving in the country, but it is not participating in the fighting or “eliminating the militants”. The government added that this Moscow force would provide cover and perform a security mission.
The organization stressed that the task of this force is not to suppress the protesters, but rather to help Kazakhstan protect vital installations, stressing that the events in this country are a real threat to the security and sovereignty of the state.
As for China, its foreign ministry spokesman said that these events are an internal affair and that the authorities there are able to deal with them appropriately.
Britain, through its Foreign Minister Liz Truss, also expressed grave concern about the unrest in Kazakhstan, and said that its government was closely monitoring the situation.
For its part, France called on all parties to exercise restraint, and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that these events are worrying.
bad memories
As for the European Union, it expressed its “deep concern” about the unrest in Kazakhstan, considering that Moscow’s sending of foreign military support to this country “reminds me of situations that should be avoided.”
In Germany, on Thursday, the government recommended its citizens not to travel to Kazakhstan in light of the current turmoil, at a time when Turkish Airlines canceled its scheduled flights to Kazakhstan until Sunday, the ninth of January.
In turn, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – yesterday – expressed its deep concern about the violence in Kazakhstan, calling for its rejection.