Russia-led CSTO troops begin to withdraw from Kazakhstan

Asia-Pacific, News January 14, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Russia-led military bloc Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) began to withdraw from Kazakhstan on January 13 after a week-long deployment in the Central Asian country

The CSTO forces were deployed to Kazakhstan to help stabilize the country and amid deadly unrest during which government authorities claimed that the former security chief was suspected of a coup attempt.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed “terrorists” trained abroad for the violence and requested the assistance of the CSTO, a regional bloc of peacekeeping contingent comprising units of the armed forces of Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

At Kazakhstan’s request, Russia and its allies assigned about 2,500 CSTO peacekeepers to protect key strategic facilities in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

According to Russian sources, after achieving their objectives, the peacekeeping forces began the gradual withdrawal from Kazakhstan that will last several days. Russian sources further stated that the withdrawal process is expected to be completed by January 19.

^{In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian peacekeepers board on a Russian military plane at an airfield outside Moscow, in Russia to fly to Kazakhstan Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Image Credit: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)}

The Russian news agencies quoted the Defense Ministry as saying that the “collective peacekeeping forces…are starting to prepare equipment and materiel for loading into the planes of the military transport aviation of the Russian aerospace forces and returning to the points of permanent deployment.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated that the peacekeeping forces from the CSTO have accomplished their mission in Kazakhstan, and it’s time for them to return home.

“Overall, it’s time to return home. We have accomplished our task,” Russian President Putin said.

Russian president thanked the defense minister, the General Staff, and all those who had led the operation in Kazakhstan by saying: “I want to express hope that this practice of using our armed forces will be studied additionally, adjustments if any will be made to the practical work.”

According to the Russian presidential website, Russian President Putin also held phone talks with the President of Kazakhstan Tokayev on January 13, and both leaders discussed matters related to the withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping forces from Kazakhstan.

During the phone talks, Kazakh President Tokayev also briefed Putin on the restoration of law and order in the country with the assistance of the CSTO peacekeeping forces and thanked Russian president for his assistance and support for bringing stability in the Central Asian nation.