Bishkek, Jan. 6, 2022. / Kabar /. The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan headed by its Chairman Akylbek Zhaparov gathered for emergency meeting.
The press service of the Cabinet said that the situation in neighboring Kazakhstan is on the agenda.
Protest actions in Kazakhstan began in the first days of the new year. 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, which is used as fuel for cars. The Republican Ministry of Energy explained that from Jan. 1, its value began to be formed at electronic exchange trading based on supply and demand.
On January 4, the authorities announced that they were ready to fulfill the main demand of the protesters - to reduce gas prices. Despite this, protests began in other cities.
On the morning of Jan. 5, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the government and instructed to introduce state regulation of prices for liquefied gas and gasoline for six months. He also announced that he became the head of the Security Council, which was previously headed by the first president of the republic, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and announced new measures to resolve the situation.
The Kazakh president introduced a state of emergency across the country, a curfew was imposed, mass events were prohibited and movement was restricted.