Russia: CSTO Arrived in Kazakhstan Under official Request, Unlike US in Iraq

"By the way, we see that you [Iraq] still have foreign forces on your territory. Here are some interesting parallels: when CSTO sent its peacekeeping forces under the request of the president of Kazakhstan, and the operation was still in its early stages, Washington demanded explanations why Kazakhstan invited CSTO forces, and that Russia must go away as soon as Kazakhstan says thank you. Kazakhstan said thank you, we are leaving, CSTO is leaving. And when will the Americans leave? Not only they were invited there, your parliament decided that it is time for them to go home. But, as you can see, everyone is equal besides the most equal one," the FM stated, TASS reported.

"I mention this so that we could see the picture when we analyze each particular situation, how our Western colleagues behave, what manners they display," Lavrov added.

In accordance with the January 6, 2022, CSTO Collective Security Council decision, CSTO Collective peacekeeping forces were sent to Kazakhstan for a limited period in order to stabilize and normalize the situation in the republic. The CSTO force included units from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Russian forces were tasked with defense of main strategic objects near Almaty.

On January 13, 2022, CSTO forces commenced their gradual withdrawal from Kazakhstan, which will take several days.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with ransacked buildings and attacks on police, military servicemen and government offices in many cities, mostly in Almaty. Thousands of people were injured, while the exact number of fatalities hasn’t been reported.