Tajikistan’s parliament has endorsed the sending of peacekeepers to Kazakhstan.
Tajik state-run news agency Khovar says a joint meeting of both chamber of the parliament took place today. The members of parliament reportedly discussed only one issue – the sending of troops to Kazakhstan as part of a peacekeeping mission of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Parliamentarians discussed only one issue on Friday January 7 — the sending of troops to Kazakhstan as part of a peacekeeping mission of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). They reportedly unanimously voted for sending Tajik peacekeepers to Kazakhstan.
In accordance with Article 55 of the country’s Constitution a joint meeting of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) and the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) gives consent to the use of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The report about a joint meeting of both chamber of the parliament was published by Khovar on January 7 at 10:58 am.
Meanwhile, Asia-Plus got in touch with the Majlisi Namoyandagon press center the same day at 10:30 am but they neither confirmed nor denied the holding of the joint meeting of both chambers of the parliament.
“All parliamentarians have gone on work leave until January 10 to meet with their voters to explain them president’s address and no sessions are planned within the next few days,” a spokesperson for the Majlisi Namoyandagon told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Tajikistan’s Defense Ministry press center, however, today morning confirmed in an interview with Asia-Plus that 200 Tajik peacekeepers will be sent to Kazakhstan in the near future.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev today declared that constitutional order was "mainly restored" after the unprecedented unrest in recent days. He gave "special thanks" to Russia's President Vladimir Putin for sending troops to quell the unrest.
In a televised address on Friday, Tokayev said he had given security forces orders to open fire without warning if there were further disturbances.
In his appeal to the people of Kazakhstan, Tokayev, in particular, notes that “Abroad, calls are made to the parties to negotiate for a peaceful solution of the problems. What nonsense! What negotiations can be with criminals, murderers?”
“We had to deal with armed and trained bandits, both local and foreign ones. It is with bandits and terrorists. Therefore, they need to be destroyed. And this will be done shortly,” reads the appeal posted on the Kazakh president’s official website.
