Kazakhstan wants virtual meeting of CSTO member states' leaders

PanARMENIAN.Net - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed holding a virtual meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council in the coming days under the chairmanship of Armenia as the current chair of the organization, the Kremlin reports.

Tokayev made the remarks in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, January 8.

"According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at this stage a conversation is required between the leaders of the CSTO member countries," the Kremlin said.

Also Saturday, Tokayev declared January 10 a day of national mourning in the country, press secretary Berik Uali revealed, according to TASS.

"In connection with the numerous human casualties as a result of tragic events in a number of regions of the country, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev decided to declare January 10, 2022, a day of national mourning," he wrote on Facebook.

The fortunes of the billionaires behind some of Kazakhstan’s best known businesses, meanwhile, have tumbled in recent days as the country reels from sprawling national protests against the ruling regime.

According to a report Forbes, together, four Kazakh billionaires–including a daughter and son-in-law of the former president, are $3 billion poorer than they were on January 4. Protests were triggered by a sharp hike in gasoline prices last week, which quickly morphed into anger over alleged corruption in former longtime President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s political system.