Putin and Tokayev discuss withdrawal of CSTO peacekeepers from Kazakhstan

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kazakhstan and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a telephone conversation, according to the Kremlin website. During the conversation, they discussed issues related to the start of withdrawal of contingents of CSTO member states from the territory of Kazakhstan. "The President of Kazakhstan informed about the measures for the final restoration of order in the country, taken in view of the effective actions of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the CSTO. Special appreciation for assistance and support was expressed to the Russian Federation, a strategic partner and CSTO ally. The parties discussed matters connected with the start of the agreed withdrawal of CSTO contingents from the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan," the statement said. A spokesman for the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, said at a press conference that "during the day the President will receive Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu with a report on the CSTO peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan. Kommersant english On January 2, protests erupted in Kazakhstan over higher prices for liquefied gas, which later turned into clashes with the police and riots. At the request of the Kazakh president, CSTO launched a peacekeeping mission January 6, and today the withdrawal of peacekeepers began. An anti-terrorist operation ended in most of the country's regions. The exceptions are Almaty and the Almaty and Dzhambul Regions.