Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation 'ready to act in Kazakhstan if needed'
South China Morning Post
5 min read
The Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has vowed to intervene in the Kazakhstan unrest if needed, but also backed the Kazakh government's actions - a sign of approval for Russia's intervention.
The pledge from the group came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Kazakhstan would find it difficult to reduce Russian influence after inviting in troops to quell unrest.
Following days of violence, Kazakhstan's domestic intelligence agency said its former head Karim Mosimov had been detained after it launched an investigation into charges of high treason. Mosimov was sacked earlier this week.
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The initial cause of the protests was a spike in prices for compressed gas in the country's western energy heartland, but President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the protesters are "bandits and terrorists" and authorised his forces to shoot without warning.
Russia's defence ministry said nine planes carrying paratroopers and hardware had landed in Almaty and its forces had helped to secure the airport.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's regional anti-terrorist structure said it is ready to extend assistance to Kazakhstan "if there is a corresponding request from Kazakhstan's relevant body," Russia's TASS news agency reported.
But it added that it is convinced that the current actions taken by Kazakhstan will help stabilise the situation as quickly as possible, saying: "[The Executive Committee] expressed all-round support for the resolute comprehensive measures taken by the country's leadership to ensure public security and protect the constitutional system of Kazakhstan".
In a separate statement, Zhang Ming, the secretary general of the group, whose members include Russia and Kazakhstan, said he hoped the situation will soon stabilise.
"Maintaining internal stability and social harmony in the republic of Kazakhstan as a member state of SCO is one of the key factors for peace and security in the region," Zhang said.
The violence erupted late Tuesday, when police fired tear gas and stun grenades at a thousands-strong protest in Almaty.
The next day protesters stormed government buildings, including the city administration headquarters and presidential residence, setting them ablaze, and a nationwide state of emergency was declared.
The interior ministry said at least 26 "armed criminals" and 18 security officers had been killed in the unrest.
Diplomatic observers said China and Russia seem to agree on the action to be taken in Kazakhstan to avoid encroaching on each other's spheres.
Kazakhstan is where Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the massive Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 and shares a 1,700km border with China - meaning there is a risk of unrest spilling over to China's restive Xinjiang region.
"China has a very intensive economic presence in the region, while the security agenda there remains a prerogative of Russia," said Danil Bochkov, a researcher at the Russian International Affairs Council.
"I do not see any negative reaction from China on the deployment of peacekeeping forces [from Russia], since China has already claimed that it supports Kazakhstan authorities in bringing the country back to stability and ensuring security".
Bochkov said China is unlikely to get too involved in regional security issues in the near future, given its relations with Russia and possible concerns that other CSTO states might have over Beijing's participation.
"The current Kazakhstan crisis has spotlighted that the CSTO is not just a by-standing mechanism acting more for a formal, decorative demonstration of security cooperation among former USSR states ... it can act promptly and solve security problems," he said.
On Friday Xi told Tokayev in a written message that Beijing supported the country's efforts to resolve the crisis and was opposed to external forces instigating regime change.
Blinken told Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi on Thursday that the US fully supported Kazakhstan's constitutional institutions and media freedom and wanted a peaceful solution that respected people's rights.
But he expressed concern over Moscow's role, telling reporters on Friday: "I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave.
"It would seem to me that the Kazakh authorities and government certainly have the capacity to deal appropriately with protests, to do so in a way that respects the rights of protesters while maintaining law and order, so it's not clear why they feel the need for any outside assistance."
Wan Qingsong, an associate professor at the Centre for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, said China and Russia, which have been deepening their security ties in recent years, would take a similar stance on Kazakhstan.
Beijing has backed the crackdown on the protests. Photo: AP alt=Beijing has backed the crackdown on the protests. Photo: AP>
Wan said Russia remains an irreplaceable player in regional security, but added: "China will certainly pay close attention to the activities taking place in Kazakhstan, because not only the political stability of the Kazakh side is at stake, but also the security and stability of China's overseas interests and compatriots in Kazakhstan, as well as the security and stability of China's Xinjiang region."
