Lukashenko Convinced That Kazakh Gov't Will Uncover Whole Truth About Nationwide Unrest

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2022) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday that the Kazakh government would eventually find out the whole truth about the crisis in the country, noting that foreign factors of the recent unrest are less obvious than during the 2020 protests in Belarus.

"Having analyzed the situation in Belarus, our starting point is that apart from the outside causes � we are very clear in case of (protests in Belarus) and not so much in case of Kazakhstan at the moment but the president of Kazakhstan is trying to get to the bottom of it, I am sure that he will succeed � we are not forgetting that there were internal causes," Lukashenko said at an online summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

The Belarusian leader also urged Uzbekistan to learn from the events in the neighboring Central Asian republic, as the instigators of the current instability in Kazakhstan allegedly have set their sights on the country, while also warning about terrorist sleeper cells in the region.

"Esteemed (Tajik President) Emomali Sharipovich Rahmon has talked on multiple occasions about risks and threats related to the threat of creation of terrorist sleeper cells in the Central Asian region, which could be activated one day," Lukashenko stated, adding that "we took that into account, but underestimated the risks."

The president warned that the CSTO should expect grave challenges in the future and thus should grow its potential in order to meet them.

"(The CSTO needs to) calmly, systematically increase all of its components, first of all, the peacekeeping potential," Lukashenko said.

Mass protests erupted in Kazakhstan last week over a twofold hike in fuel prices. In light of the rioting and looting that followed, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a nationwide state of emergency, effective until January 19, and invited the CSTO peacekeeping forces to help bring the situation under control.