BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.6
Trend:
Tajikistan intends to participate in a collective peacekeeping operation to provide assistance to Kazakhstan in order to eliminate the threat that has arisen, Trend reports on Jan. 6 citing the Tajik Foreign Ministry.
According to the ministry, Tajikistan intends to participate in the operation to comply its allied obligations within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
“We note with grave concern the cases of violence against civilians and representatives of the security forces, the seizure of government bodies, and robberies,” the ministry said. “We are especially anxious over the fact that unauthorized actions have led to the emergence of illegal armed formations, which acquired lethal weapons and special equipment.”
Kazakhstan's government announced late Jan. 4 that it was restoring some price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year.
Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1.
After the price of the fuel spiked, big demonstrations erupted on Jan. 2 in certain parts of the country. Public protests are illegal in the country unless their organizers file a notice in advance. Following the development of the situation, the government declared a state of emergency all over the country.