President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev. Archival photo MINSK, 13 Jan. During a telephone conversation with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the situation in the country and thanked for support, including within the framework of the CSTO peacekeeping mission, the press service of the Belarusian president said. reported that Tokayev and Lukashenko spoke on the phone. 
The Ministry of Defense of Belarus called the timeline for the withdrawal of peacekeepers from Kazakhstan. » a number of bilateral issues, «- says the press service of the President of Belarus. Mass protests in Kazakhstan began in the first days of 2022: residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the west of the country opposed a twofold increase in prices for liquefied gas. Later, the protests spread to other cities, including Alma-Ata, the old capital and the largest city of the republic: looting began there, militants attacked state institutions, took away weapons. In response, the authorities declared a state of emergency across the country until January 19 and launched a counter-terrorism operation. According to the UN, about 1,000 people were injured during the protests in Kazakhstan. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, 17 Kazakhstani security officials were killed, more than 1.3 thousand were injured. On the morning of January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev dismissed the government and headed the Security Council. At the first meeting of the Security Council under his leadership, Tokayev described the situation in Kazakhstan as undermining the integrity of the state and said that he had asked the CSTO for help «in overcoming the terrorist threat.» The CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan to normalize the situation in the country. On January 7, Tokayev announced that terrorists, including those who arrived from abroad, continued to resist, and promised to destroy those who did not lay down their arms. In addition, the President noted that all the demands of citizens, expressed in peaceful forms, were heard. Belarus
