Leaders of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are scheduled to hold a videoconference on January 10 to discuss the ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan.
A Kremlin spokesman on January 9 confirmed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the call, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
Kazakhstan has been beset by several days of unrest after demonstrations against rising fuel prices morphed into a general protest against the national government in the autocratic Central Asian nation.
The Kazakh government has requested help from the six-member CSTO made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia.
Russia has sent a few thousand troops to Kazakhstan under the auspices of the CSTO, a move criticized by the United States.
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