“Needs negotiations”: Finland is concerned about the situation in Kazakhstan

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that Helsinki is watching the situation in Kazakhstan with concern. He called on the parties to refrain from violence.

According to Haavisto, the Kazakh authorities must respect human rights and freedom of the press. Negotiations are the only way out of the situation, he added.

Earlier, the same theses were made in the EU, OSCE, UN and Washington.

According to Kristiina Silvan, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations (UPI), the people of Kazakhstan took to the streets because of dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country: everything is becoming more expensive, and the revenues from the sale of oil and gas have flowed into the pockets of the ruling elite. The authorities are corrupt and unable to provide people with a dignified life, reports the expert’s opinion Yle.fi.

Finland’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Soili Mäkeläinen-Bukhanist says that the aggravation of the situation came as a surprise: “Kazakhstan is the most stable of the Central Asian countries, and there were no particular disturbances there”.

At these minutes, the transfer of troops of the CSTO countries to Kazakhstan continues. On the eve, the president of the country engulfed in unrest, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, applied to the organization for help.

The protests in Kazakhstan began in early January and continue to this day. The reason was a sharp increase in prices for liquefied gas, but then the demands of the protesters moved to the political plane. Marauders were operating in the cities, the airport of Alma-Ata was seized. Shooting is heard in the city now. Oppositionists say about 30 dead from the side of the protesters, the authorities confirmed this information indirectly, reporting on the “destruction of dozens of terrorists.” On the part of the security forces, according to official data, 13 people were killed, more than 300 were injured.