Organised armed groups provoked from abroad tried to disrupt integrity of Kazakhstan: Russia

“From the very beginning Moscow was closely monitoring the rapidly deteriorating internal political situation and surge of violence in Kazakhstan,” according to an Russian Government statement.

“We consider recent developments in this friendly country, with which Russia has relations of strategic partnership and alliance, nothing but an externally provoked attempts to disrupt the security and integrity of the state, including by using the trained and organized armed groups,” Russian government statement affirmed.

When the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in response to the relevant request by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a decision on January 6, 2022, to send the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces to the Republic of Kazakhstan, in line with its commitments to the allied obligations within the Organization Russia have supported the adoption of these urgent measures, according to the Russian government statement.

To be more precise, the statement of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who chairs the CSTO Council in 2022, reads as follows: “In view of the address of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and considering the threat to national security and sovereignty of the Republic of Kazakhstan, caused in particular by interference from the outside, the CSTO Collective Security Council in accordance with Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty made the decision to send CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces to the Republic of Kazakhstan for a limited period with the aim of stabilization and normalization of the situation in this country”.

Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty of May 15, 1992, stipulates that in case of aggression (armed attack that threatens security, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty) against any member state, other member states shall immediately provide necessary support and aid, including military assistance, at the request of said member state. Deployment of the CSTO peacekeeping forces is only possible when an agreement is reached between all member states.

“Apart from the Russian portion of the peacekeeping forces temporarily sent to Kazakhstan on January 6, there are contingent from Armenia, Belorussia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It should be clearly understood that their main task comes solely to securing important state and military facilities, as well as rendering assistance to the local authorities in stabilizing the situation and getting it back to the legal framework. They do not participate in any military actions and are not involved in elimination of terrorists, which are being taken care of by the Kazakh law enforcement forces. Thus, one should not confuse a peacekeeping mission with the deployment of a combat units,” according to the Russian Government statement.

“At the end of the day, we are very happy to see statements from the Kazakhstan officials that as of January 7 the law and order have been restored in all regions of the country and the situation has stabilized.”

Russia has called for searching peaceful solutions through a dialogue, within the constitutional and legal framework, not through street riots and violations of law.

Russia is key force behind CSTO and Kazakhstan is part of CSTO. Russia maintains a military facility in Kazakhstan besides space facility. Kazakhstan has alleged that terrorists trained abroad have launched armed resistance in the country.

CSTO is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia that consists of select post-Soviet states. Apart from Russia and Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are members of CSTO.