Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived in Almaty, the country's largest city and the epicenter of recent unrest, to meet with members of the counter-terrorism task force and the families of police and military officers killed in clashes, his spokesman Berik Uali said on Wednesday
NUR-SULTAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2022) - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived in Almaty, the country's largest city and the epicenter of recent unrest, to meet with members of the counter-terrorism task force and the families of police and military officers killed in clashes, his spokesman Berik Uali said on Wednesday.
"We confirm that the president has arrived in Almaty. He attended a meeting of the task force in Almaty. He also met with the relatives of police officers and military, offered his condolences and handed out awards," Uali told Kazakh news website Tengrinews.
Tokayev also visited hospitals to meet with people injured during the unrest, the spokesman was cited as saying.
The Kazakh president is still in Almaty, Sputnik Kazakhstan reported.
Tokayev met with relatives of police officers and military who were killed in unrest in the largest Kazakh city and extended his condolences to them, the country's presidency said on its official website.
"They are real heroes, who sacrificed their lives for the safety of our people, for future generations, citizens of our country. We are delighted with their heroic deed and will always remember it. They will remain in the memory of our people forever. I promise that all your families will be heeded. We will provide constant assistance, including housing or education for children," Tokayev said, as quoted by his press office.
The Kazakh leader also handed out awards for the slain officers to their relatives, who were quoted in the press release as expressing the hope that "tragic events like this will never be repeated" in the country.
Protests began in the cities of Aktau and Zhanaozen in southwest Kazakhstan last week over a twofold hike in fuel prices. They quickly spread to the country's largest city and economic hub, Almaty, as well as other cities, and turned violent. Shops were looted and government offices were attacked. The Collective Security Treaty Organization deployed a peacekeeping contingent to Kazakhstan after Tokayev asked the regional alliance for help in battling terrorists.
The Kazakh president reshuffled the cabinet and appointed a new prime minister on Tuesday.
