Developments around the deployment of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan

Whether the timeframes will be a matter of days or weeks will depend on the situation that will develop in Kazakhstan, and of course this will also depend on the Kazakh leadership’s position, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said in an interview with RIA Novosty, adding that the mission will be completed and the troops will be withdrawn if the local government were to consider the situation as stabilized.

Secretary General Zas added that all CSTO member states have expressed readiness to participate with their units and the deployment started. "As of now, according to the decisions made it is about over 2500 troops. We will make decisions according to the situation. We have over 3600 men in the entire formations comprising the CSTO peacekeeping forces, if necessary we will enhance the formation in Kazakhstan."

Stanislav Zas underscored that it doesn’t matter how many troops a given member-state has sent. "It is a gesture which means readiness to support Kazakhstan. All CSTO member states have provided support. This is important for us," he said.

Later the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reported that the Armenian Armed Forces sent 100 servicemen to Kazakhstan as part of the CSTO peacekeeping forces. "During the mission, the peacekeeping unit of the Armenian Armed Forces will perform exclusively the functions of protecting buildings and infrastructures of strategic importance."

Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia commented on the decision of the Republic of Armenia to send peacekeepers to Kazakhstan. "When the Prime Minister of Armenia received information about the processes taking place in Kazakhstan, when he received the statement of President Tokayev, began consultations with the leaders of other CSTO countries. Everyone gave their assessments of the situation, and when Armenia made its decision, including as the chairman, at that time there were no more revolutionary processes there: there were already terrorist acts. Such a decision was made as part of the logic of ensuring stability and security," Grigoryan said.

Pashinyan discussed the situation in Kazakhstan with Zas, Putin and Lukashenko

The CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas informed Pashinyan about the details of the January 6 decision of the Collective Security Council aimed at solving the current situation in Kazakhstan. Zas and Pashinyan discussed the main tasks of the CSTO joint peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan over the phone.

On January 7, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Kazakhstan, as well as the implementation of joint steps within the framework of the CSTO.

According to the Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't discuss the possibility of increasing the CSTO contingent in Kazakhstan.

The press service of the President of Belarus informs that the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Touching upon the activities of the CSTO peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan, the leaders stressed that one of their main tasks is to prevent the penetration of armed gangs from outside into Kazakhstan.

Other news

• Ahmet Davutoğlu, the former Turkish Prime Minister, called it concerning that Kazakhstan has to ask help from security organization chaired by Armenia. 
• Pashinyan discussed a number of issues on the agenda of bilateral cooperation with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
• Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan commented on whether the Armenian government is going to evacuate the Armenian citizens from Kazakhstan during the current violent unrest.