A senior Turkish official expressed sorrow Thursday over the ongoing unrest and loss of lives in Kazakhstan stemming from protests against rising fuel prices.
“Peace, stability and tranquility in Kazakhstan is Turkiye’s top priority. Turkiye will always continue to stand by Kazakhstan,” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter.
Turkiye’s AK Party spokesman Omer Celik also voiced solidarity with Kazakhstan.
“Turkiye always stands by friend and brother Kazakhstan. It is our greatest wish that Kazakhstan will get through these days and become a peaceful and strong country in all respects. The people of Kazakhstan have the foresight to get through these days with common sense,” Celik said on Twitter.
Expressing sorrow over the loss of lives in Kazakhstan, Celik said Turkiye’s greatest wish is that all people in Kazakhstan are safe and for an end to the ongoing unrest in the country.
The protests began in western Kazakhstan on Jan. 2 over an increase in the prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and later spread to other areas of the country before going nationwide.
To ensure public safety, a state of emergency was declared in the commercial capital Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also approved the resignation of the government.
He requested help from the Russian-led military alliance the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which agreed to send an unspecified number of peacekeepers.
Source: Anadolu Agency