The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan expressed concern about the unfolding events in Kazakhstan and interest in the soonest normalization of the situation in the country.

“Turkmenistan is watching with concern the events taking place in the Republic of Kazakhstan in recent days,” the Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a statement released today.

The report notes that in Turkmenistan, "based on the centuries-old bonds of friendship and brotherhood, good neighborly ties and relations of strategic partnership, are sincerely interested in the soonest normalization of the situation in the country, in the further stable socio-political and socio-economic development of Kazakhstan”.

In the document, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan expressed confidence that “the wisdom and foresight inherent in the Kazakh people, deep respect for the customs and traditions of their ancestors, and tolerance will contribute to maintaining calm and serve as a solid basis for resolving issues in accordance with international norms and rules”.

In the first days of the new year, protest actions began in Kazakhstan. Residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau, which are located in the oil-producing Mangistau region, rallied to protest against a two-fold increase in the price of liquefied petroleum gas used as fuel for cars. The riots, during which there are casualties, spread throughout the country.