(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 19
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The investigation would ultimately show whether or not the First President of Kazakhstan – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev or members of his family had been involved in the unrest in Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi told Euractiv, Trend reports.
Asked about Nazarbayev's whereabouts, Tileuberdi first said he did not know and then referred to a video message posted two days ago in which the former president says he is well and is in the country's capital, Nur-Sultan.
Kazakhstan's government announced late Jan. 4 that it was restoring some price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year.
Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1.
After the price of the fuel spiked, big demonstrations erupted on Jan. 2 in certain parts of the country. Public protests are illegal in the country unless their organizers file a notice in advance.
Following the development of the situation, the government declared a state of emergency all over the country. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the government initiated anti-terrorist operations to deal with the ongoing riots.
Also, the divisions of the united peacekeeping contingent of CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) arrived in Kazakhstan to assist in restoring order and help protect strategic objects of the country.
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