Turkey is always ready to support Kazakhstan, Vice President Fuat Oktay said Monday after violent riots took place in the Central Asian country which had started with peaceful protest but later turned into what was described by the Kazakh officials as "terrorist attacks."
Oktay spoke via phone with Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov about the recent situation in Kazakhstan.
During the call, Oktay expressed the Turkish people's dismay over the incidents that took place in Kazakhstan in past weeks.
Oktay said he has no doubt that friendly and brotherly Kazakhstan will overcome the recent crisis and come out of this process stronger thanks to its entrenched state tradition and the common sense of the Kazakh people.
Oktay conveyed his best wishes to Smailov for his new position. He said Turkey is always ready to support and show solidarity with Kazakhstan.
Smailov, for his part, thanked Turkey for its support during the difficult period that the country experienced in recent weeks.
"We attach great importance to the support of brotherly Turkey. Turkey is Kazakhstan's strategic partner," Smailov said.
Smailov was elected prime minister when 89 deputies voted for him last week.
He served as assistant to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart in 2015-2018 and worked as finance minister in 2018-2019.
In 2021, Smailov was appointed first deputy prime minister while also serving as finance minister.
Following days of internet shutdown, prosecutors announced last week the unrest that began with peaceful protests over energy price hikes had left 225 people dead, including 19 law enforcement and military personnel.
It is unclear why so many civilians died and who are the "foreign terrorists" that the government blames for the violence.
Since the beginning of the protests, Turkey and the Organization of Turkic States had offered help and showed solidarity with Kazakhstan. However, Kazakhstan maintained that it is managing the unrest on its own.
The country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to a Russia-led military bloc for help, and peacekeepers from Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Tajikistan soon arrived in the country and backed Kazakh law enforcement in restoring order.
