CSTO Leaders To Discuss Kazakhstan Crisis In Videoconference

Russian paratroopers board a military cargo plane to depart to Kazakhstan as part of a CSTO mission in the restive Central Asian country.

Leaders of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are scheduled to hold a videoconference on January 10 to discuss the ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan.

A Kremlin spokesman on January 9 confirmed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the call, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

Kazakhstan has been beset by several days of unrest after demonstrations against rising fuel prices morphed into a general protest against the national government in the autocratic Central Asian nation.​

SEE ALSO: Kazakh President Says Week Of Deadly Unrest Was 'Attempted Coup,' Without Citing Evidence

The Kazakh government has requested help from the six-member CSTO made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia.

Russia has sent a few thousand troops to Kazakhstan under the auspices of the CSTO, a move criticized by the United States.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS