Your trusted source

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev confirmed that the withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent from Kazakhstan will begin on January 13 at a meeting of the emergency operations center in Almaty, the presidential press service reported on Wednesday, according to TASS report. 

"Tomorrow, the organized pullout of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent will begin. I held talks with the leaders of states involved. Using the opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the contingent’s commandment for work accomplished over these several days. The presence itself of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan, including Almaty, played a very big part from the point of view of stabilizing the situation in our country," the Kazakh leader said.

According to him, this had a great psychological significance in deflecting the aggression of terrorists and bandits. "The mission is assessed as a very successful one. I once again express gratitude to my colleagues - the heads of state," the Kazakh president stressed.