National mourning tomorrow.. The dispute escalated between Russia and the United States over Kazakhstan, and the authorities confirm the restoration of "constitutional order"

The dispute escalated between Moscow and Washington due to the Russian intervention in the Kazakhstan crisis. While Moscow is working to hold a summit for the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Washington expressed its dissatisfaction with the Russian interference, while the authorities declared control over the situation inside the country.

The Kremlin said - on Saturday - that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart, Kasim Jomart Tokayev, held a telephone conversation to discuss the situation in Kazakhstan.

The RIA Novosti website quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that sending peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan was done on a legal basis, and that the American reaction was aggressive and rude.

Zakharova explained that the most important thing is that the legally elected president of Kazakhstan and the legitimate government is the one that summoned the organization to which she belongs for help.

She said, in response to a previous statement by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, that there is a lesson from history, which is that when Americans enter your home, it is difficult to stay alive.

Blinken had said that there is a lesson from history that when the Russians enter your house, it is difficult to force them to leave.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Collective Security Treaty Organization forces took control of Almaty airport, and then placed it under the control of the Kazakh security forces.

The ministry said that 20 military cargo planes continued yesterday to transport Russian forces and their equipment to Kazakhstan.

The US Consulate

The US State Department allowed the employees of its Consulate General in the Kazakh city of Almaty to leave the country voluntarily due to the recent events in Kazakhstan.

The ministry said in a statement - Saturday - that it had agreed to leave all of its employees and their family members working at the Consulate General in Almaty, with the exception of emergency personnel.

She said that there might be demonstrations and strikes in Kazakhstan, and that these events could develop quickly and without warning, and turn into violent acts.

US citizens in Kazakhstan should be aware that violent protests can severely affect the ability of the US Embassy to provide consular services.

Confrontations continue

Meanwhile, local media reported that Almaty Airport was closed indefinitely.

President Tokayev said that the authorities had restored what he called a mostly constitutional order, after days of unrest that left 26 people dead, hundreds injured, and thousands arrested.

Tokayev stated that he gave orders to shoot those he described as criminals without warning.

Sputnik Kazakhstan had reported that there were continuous battles and clashes on the outskirts of the city of Almaty along the highway linking the city with the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

The former head of Kazakhstan's security service, Karim Masimov, was arrested on charges of treason after he was dismissed following the outbreak of confrontations.

The National Security Committee announced that its former director, Karim Masimov (56 years old), was arrested after an investigation was launched on charges of "high treason". He is the first senior official to be arrested since the unrest began about a week ago.

Masimov, an ally and confidant of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was sacked from his position as head of the committee this week after bloody riots began after demonstrations against the gas price hike.

Masimov served as prime minister twice during the Nazarbayev era, and has been at the head of the National Security Service since 2016.

Anger

A protest movement is shaking Kazakhstan - the largest country in Central Asia - which began Sunday in the countryside after the increase in gas prices, and then spread to a number of cities, including Almaty, the country's economic capital, where the demonstrations developed into riots. It led to deaths and thousands of arrests.

On January 5, the government announced its resignation in the wake of anti-government protests, followed by the imposition of a state of emergency across the country with the aim of maintaining public security, while 26 protesters were killed, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Tension continued Saturday in Almaty, as police shots were heard in the air to prevent people from approaching the city's main square.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared tomorrow, Monday, a national day of mourning for the lives of the victims of the riots in the country.

Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev called on the people to support the government to confront the crisis the country is going through, according to what his spokesman announced Saturday.

According to observers, the demonstrators' anger is directed not only in response to the rise in gas prices, but also against Nazarbayev, who continued to control power from behind the scenes despite his stepping down.

Nazarbayev ruled the country from 1989 to 2019 and has great influence.

International concern

The turmoil in a country of 19 million people is worrying the Western powers.

Germany announced - on Saturday - that it would stop arms exports to Kazakhstan. A spokesman for the German Economy Ministry told AFP that the value of the exported materials was low (2.2 million euros in 2021), but that the ban was "necessary".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron called on Friday for an end to the violence sweeping Kazakhstan.

The Qatar News Agency said that the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, made a phone call with the President of Kazakhstan, in which they discussed the developments in the country.

The agency added that the Kazakh president briefed the Emir of Qatar on efforts to calm the situation in Kazakhstan and enhance security and stability there.

For his part, the Emir of Qatar expressed his confidence in the ability of the Kazakh authorities to overcome this crisis and return things to normal.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday praised the "strong measures" of the Kazakh government against the demonstrators, considering that they reflect President Tokayev's "high sense of responsibility", according to state media.