Chinese foreign minister conveys support to Kazakh counterpart

BEIJING

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed a message of support to his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tleuberdi on Monday over the anti-government protests and violence in Kazakhstan.

In a phone call, Wang said that China, as its permanent comprehensive strategic partner, is ready to support Kazakhstan's efforts to prevent violence and ensure stability at this critical juncture where its fate and future are at stake, said a statement by China’s Foreign Ministry.

Tleuberdi said Kazakhstan has faced planned “terrorist acts,” and that thousands of police, military law enforcement, and medical personnel were attacked at the same time in many places.

Wang expressed his condolences for the security forces who lost their lives while fighting terrorism and acts of violence and expressed his sympathy for the innocents hurt in the incidents.

Some 164 people have lost their lives around the country, said Kazakh news channel Habar-24, citing the Central Asian country's Health Ministry.

Protests against a sharp rise in gas prices turned into massive riots across Kazakhstan over the past week.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region, from where the protests spread to the rest of the country.

BEIJING

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed a message of support to his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tleuberdi on Monday over the anti-government protests and violence in Kazakhstan.

Tleuberdi said Kazakhstan has faced planned “terrorist acts,” and that thousands of police, military law enforcement, and medical personnel were attacked at the same time in many places.

Wang expressed his condolences for the security forces who lost their lives while fighting terrorism and acts of violence and expressed his sympathy for the innocents hurt in the incidents.

Some 164 people have lost their lives around the country, said Kazakh news channel Habar-24, citing the Central Asian country's Health Ministry.

Protests against a sharp rise in gas prices turned into massive riots across Kazakhstan over the past week.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region, from where the protests spread to the rest of the country.