Organization of Turkic States to hold extraordinary meeting on Kazakhstan unrest

The foreign ministers of the Organization of the Turkic States, consisting of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, will convene an extraordinary meeting today to evaluate the recent developments in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan was recently rocked by bloody protests that left dozens dead. Though the protests began because of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s removal of LPG fuel caps, spiking auto fuel prices, they have since transformed into general anti-government protests. President Tokayev accuses protestors of collaborating with former spy chief Karim Masimov and called in Russian peacekeepers to end the protests.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusohglu has consistently reasserted his support to Kazakhstan to establish peace and stability, strengthening the Turk-Kazakh “Strategic Partnership Agreement” which has turned the two powers into strong political and economic allies. In its quest to strengthen the Organization of Turkic States, Turkey could also potentially help in stabilizing Kazakhstan in the longer run by increasing bilateral trade and cultural activities. 

Expect the meeting to discuss a timeline for the Russian peacekeeping forces to leave the country by the end of January along with regional support by member countries to establish security in the Kazakhstan.