Armenia tells its nationals in Kazakhstan to shelter in place as local authorities launch counter- terror operation
18:09, 6 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Amid the violent unrest in Kazakhstan, the Armenian Embassy is advising all Armenian citizens who are currently in the country to shelter in place and follow safety guidelines set by local authorities.
The local government introduced a state of emergency and curfew (23:00 – 07:00).
“We strictly advise all citizens of the Republic of Armenia to maintain safety rules, avoid crowded areas and remain in your hotels or other place of residence,” the Armenian Embassy in Kazakhstan said in a statement.
Protest rallies against high fuel prices erupted on January 2 in Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangystau Region in southwestern Kazakhstan. Two days later, the protests engulfed Almaty in the country’s southeast and other cities where the protesters clashed with the police.
As of January 6, more than 1000 people were wounded across the country.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that “terrorists” were seizing buildings, infrastructure and small arms and are battling security forces.
The Kazakh law enforcement agencies said they launched a counter-terror operation to establish order.
The commandant’s office in charge of enforcing the state of emergency called on Almaty residents "to remain calm and render assistance to the law-enforcement agencies in establishing the Constitutional order and public security,” TASS reported.
As the statement says, "radically-minded supporters of riots have caused huge damage to the city, put up resistance to the legitimate actions of law-enforcement agencies for establishing order and providing security."
The commandant’s office also reported that "the extremists are on a looting spree, causing damage to business." Moreover, "they are endangering the lives and health of civilians, obstructing the work of medical workers and causing damage to polyclinics and hospitals."
"Bandits who are on the rampage in Almaty are highly organized, which is evidence that they were seriously trained abroad" and "their attack on Kazakhstan is an act of aggression and an attempt to disrupt the state’s integrity," the statement says.
Kazakhstan officially invoked Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), asking fellow CSTO allies to send peacekeepers as the country was facing national security threats with outside interference.
The CSTO its peacekeeping forces.
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