ANKARA: Political parties issued a joint statement condemning the violence in Kazakhstan and pledging support for peace and stability in the Central Asian country.
“We condemn acts of violence that endanger human life, disrupt public order and damage property,” the joint statement, signed by all parties in the Turkish Parliament, except for the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
The declaration recalled that Turkey has stood by Kazakhstan since its independence in 1991.
Turkey will continue to provide all kinds of support for peace and stability in Kazakhstan, which is of vital importance for the region, the statement further said.
“We are pleased that the incidents have started to calm down and the situation in the country has started to return to normal due to the common sense of the people of Kazakhstan and the prudent attitude of the (Kazakhstan) administration,” it added.
On Jan. 2, protests broke out in Kazakhstan over a rise in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices in the city of Zhanaozen in Mangystau, which later turned into clashes with the police, with the most violent developments in Kazakhstan’s former capital Almaty.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev requested help from its Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) allies and in a short period, peacekeepers from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Tajikistan arrived in the country and backed the Kazakh law enforcement in restoring order.
