Lukashenko discuss situation in Kazakhstan with Putin

MINSK (TASS): President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held telephone conversations with Russian and Kazakh counterparts Vladimir Putin and Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev. This was reported by the press service of the Belarusian leader on Wednesday.
“The President of Belarus, first with his Russian and then with his Kazakh colleagues, held consultations on the situation in Kazakhstan,” the statement reads. It also notes that on this situation “the leaders of all CSTO countries are in constant contact.”
Protests in Kazakhstan began on January 2 in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau, Mangistau Oblast (southwest of the country), where residents rallied against high fuel prices. Two days later, riots broke out in Alma-Ata (southeast), where the police used flash bangs to disperse the crowd, as well as in other cities, in particular in Atyrau, Aktobe (west), Uralsk (north-west), Taraz, Shymkent and Kyzylorda (south), Karaganda (northeast) and Nur-Sultan. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev introduced a state of emergency in Mangistau and Alma-Ata regions, as well as in Alma-Ata and Nur-Sultan. On January 5, the head of state dismissed the government. Its members continue to fulfill their duties until the approval of the new composition of the Cabinet.