Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declares state of emergency and says he plans to act ‘as toughly as possible’
Kazakhstan’s president has appealed to a Moscow-led security bloc to help regain control amid protests sparked by fuel price rises, after demonstrators took over government buildings and reportedly stormed the airport in Almaty, the country’s commercial capital and largest city.
In a televised address late on Wednesday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he had turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a military alliance of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – after what he described as “attacks” by foreign-trained terrorist gangs