A meeting of the Security Council was held on Jan. 6 in Nur-Sultan city, with the Head of the State presiding. The issue put before the council was the ongoing battle with terroristic and criminal elements out on the streets working to destabilize the country, reports Akorda.
President Tokayev chairs Security Council meeting
The heads of both houses of parliament, the acting Prime Minister, the Head of the Presidential Administration, the Chairman of the National Security Committee, the Prosecutor-General, the head of State Security Service, the acting Deputy Prime Ministers – the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Defense Minister, the Home Minister, and the Minister of Emergencies were all in attendance.
Pointing out the complexity of the developing situation, the Chairman of the Security Council stressed the importance of implementing decisive measures. He called out the agitators who had struck a blow against Kazakhstan, calling them terrorists against the state.
– Therefore, we must launch a counter-terrorist operation with the goal of striking back [at the terrorists]. I am creating a counter-terrorism headquarters. The data is clear – the attacks were carried out by real terrorists. They are rampaging now in Almaty and in other cities. They have seized key infrastructure buildings and are taking over weapons storage facilities. They are fighting with academy cadets out in the streets. A real battle is taking place in Almaty between the terrorists and paratrooper divisions under the control of the Ministry of Defence, the Head of State said.
The President said that these terrorist gangs are, in fact, international, and have undergone serious training abroad and their attack on Kazakhstan should be viewed as an act of aggression.
– In this regard, relying on the Collective Security Treaty, today I turned to the heads of the other CSTO states to help Kazakhstan overcome this terrorist threat. In fact, this is no longer a threat – it is the undermining of the integrity of the state, and the most important thing is that it is an attack on our citizens, who rely on me, as the Head of State, to keep them safe. My constitutional duty is that I have to take care of the well-being, security and tranquility of our citizens. Therefore, I consider an appeal to the CSTO partners absolutely appropriate and timely. I believe that the people of Kazakhstan will support this decision. Together we will naturally prevail. Terrorist gangs, as I said, have seized large infrastructure facilities. In particular, an airport was seized in Almaty, about five aircraft, including foreign ones. Almaty was attacked, destroyed, vandalized. Residents of Almaty became victims of attacks by terrorists and bandits. Therefore, it is our duty, as well as the duty of the members of the Security Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan present here, to take all possible actions to protect our state from an external threat, – said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The Chairman of the Security Council also addressed the citizens of the country who had become victims of the terrorist aggression:
– I want to assure you that I will do my best as the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to protect our vital interests. We will triumph together, in the end. This is a very difficult page in the history of our state. Many things have to be studied – how and why this happened. But the main concern now is to protect our country, to protect our citizens,” the Head of State concluded.
Meanwhile, the CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan, according to the Chairman of the Council, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
– In connection with the appeal of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and in view of the threat to national security and the sovereignty of the Republic of Kazakhstan caused, inter alia, by outside interference, the CSTO Collective Security Council, in accordance with Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty, decided to send the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces to the Republic of Kazakhstan for a limited time with the aim of stabilizing and normalizing the situation in this country,” Mr. Pashinyan wrote on Facebook.
The CSTO has existed since May 15, 1992. Its main goals are the strengthening of peace, international and regional security and stability, and the protection on a collective basis of independence, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states.
The protests in Kazakhstan have continued since January 2. Initially, the demonstrators demanded lower prices for liquefied gas. The protests did not stop after the government met their demands. The government then resigned. A state of emergency is now in force throughout the country.
