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Armenian lawmaker Edmon Marukyan, the head of the Bright Armenia party, took to Facebook on Sunday to warn of an explosive situation in the wake of the recent murder case of a Kazakh resident in the city of Karaganda involving three Armenian suspects.

“The situation is gradually becoming uncontrollable and explosive after the murder in the Kazakh city of Karaganda on the New Year’s Eve, keeping our compatriots alarmed and threatening their safety and security,” he wrote.

Marukyan says according to preliminary observations Azerbaijanis have succeeded in escalating this interpersonal conflict into an anti-Armenian campaign.

He reminds that the Kazakhstan Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal investigation over an incitement of ethnic and religious hatred.

The MP urges the Armenian Embassy to immediately summon the country’s envoy to Kazakhstan and ask for clarifications over the recent developments in the city and get assurances that Astana is doing its best to protect the rights, safety and property of local Armenians and prevent the threats facing them.

The murder of a 23-year-old local resident took place in Old Rome restaurant on 31 December following a scuffle between two group of guests. 

According to the reports by local sources, the three Armenians and three other suspects have been detained, with an international arrest warrant issued against a seventh one.

As reported earlier, a group of local residents held a rally on Sunday chanting anti-Armenian calls. The Prosecutor General’s Office has called on the city resident not to yield to provocations and maintain calm. Earlier the Armenian Embassy in Kazakhstan called to not politicize the incident.