Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev yesterday held a virtual meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Kazakh president’s official website said, noting that the meeting was held on the initiative of the European side.
The parties reportedly discussed the current domestic political situation in Kazakhstan and the prospects for the development of strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union.
At Charles Michel’s request, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thoroughly informed him about the reasons of the current situation in Kazakhstan and the measures taken by the government. Tokayev spoke about the cruel attacks of terrorists and militants who tried to undermine the constitutional order and carry out a coup d'etat.
He described “the tragic events as an unprecedented act of aggression and assault” on Kazakhstan’s statehood. He added that the violent actions of terrorists caused numerous casualties among law enforcement officers and civilians, about 1,300 businesses were damaged, more than 100 trade centers, banks were attacked, about 500 police cars were burned. According to President Tokayev, the preliminary economic damage to the country may amount up to US$ 2-3 billion.
“I have no doubt that it was a terrorist attack. A well-organized and prepared act of aggression against Kazakhstan with the participation of foreign militants. They are mostly from Central Asian countries, including Afghanistan. There were also militants from the Middle East. The goal was to form a zone of controlled chaos in Kazakhstan forward by forceful seizure of power. That is why, the counter terrorism operation has been launched in Kazakhstan,” the Head of State said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reportedly gave a clear explanation about the deployment of the CSTO peacekeeping forces on Kazakhstan’s territory.
Tokayev stressed Kazakhstan’s commitment to comply with all its international obligations and reaffirmed the intention to further developing cooperation with the EU institutions and its member states.
For his part, Charles Michel reportedly noted the great usefulness of this virtual meeting. As he said, the meeting allowed him to learn more about the latest developments in Kazakhstan. He pointed out the importance of obtaining reliable information amid various misinterpretations of what is happening in Kazakhstan, according to the Kazakh president’s official website.
