President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart TokayevALMA-ATA, Jan 29President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev gave an interview to the state-owned Khabar 24 TV channel in Russian to reach the widest possible audience, including foreign ones, Presidential Press Secretary Berik Uali said. in which the president talks about the causes and consequences of the tragic events of January, further political and social reforms, and relations with key foreign policy partners of the republic. The full interview will be aired at 20:00 (17:00 Moscow time).Tokayev explained why the terrorists seized the Alma-Ata airport «Today, an interview with the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is aired on republican TV channels. In this regard, questions are being received about why the president speaks not in Kazakh, but in Russian. The fact is, that this interview is intended for a global audience. We would like to ensure the widest possible coverage due to the relevance of the topic and worldwide interest in what is happening in Kazakhstan,» Uali wrote on Instagram. According to the press secretary, during January addressed to the head of state there were many requests for interviews from foreign (Russian, European, Asian, American) mass media. «However, due to the tight schedule, we decided to limit ourselves to a dialogue with a journalist from the Khabar 24 channel. The next big interview with the media will definitely be given in the near future to local journalists in the Kazakh language,» the press secretary assured.
The President of Kazakhstan told what the terrorists were hunting for in Alma-AtaIn Kazakhstan, the Kazakh language is the state language. In state organizations and local governments, Russian is officially used along with Kazakh. In early January, mass protests took place in Kazakhstan. In the first days of 2022, residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the west of the country opposed the doubling of 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. The authorities declared a state of emergency throughout the country until January 19 and carried out a counter-terrorism operation. According to the UN, during the protests in Kazakhstan, about 1,000 people were injured. According to the country's Prosecutor General's Office, 4,578 people were injured as a result of the riots, 225 people died, including 19 security officials.
