Events in Kazakhstan are an internal political conflict

Joint Statement of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Coordination Council and the National Anti-Crisis Management on the inadmissibility of sending the Belarusian military to operations abroad

The events in Kazakhstan are an internal political conflict. There is no evidence that the crisis is caused by external aggression or is connected with external terrorist threats.

Street protests are one of the few available means of expressing civic will under authoritarian regimes. We understand the desire to resist dictatorship and respect the right of the people of Kazakhstan to determine the destiny of their country.

The Collective Security Treaty was created to repel external aggression, not to solve internal political problems of participating countries. Sending troops as well as any other military assistance to the incumbent government of Kazakhstan sets a dangerous precedent of foreign armed interference in internal political conflicts.

In this connection we declare: the introduction of troops may complicate friendly relations between the Belarusian and Kazakh peoples for many years. Military intervention in the internal conflict in Kazakhstan runs counter to the national interests of Belarus and can lead to significant human and material losses and damage the international reputation of our country.

We do not accept the use of Belarusian troops to resolve political conflicts both in Belarus and outside the country. Their task is to protect the sovereignty and security of Belarus.

We do not accept the adoption of such decisions on behalf of the person, deprived of legitimacy by the results of the elections in 2020, who has forcibly seized and held power in Belarus.

We express our confidence that the current crisis can be solved by the people of Kazakhstan independently through a broad internal dialogue and democratic procedures. Foreign military intervention in an internal political conflict would have negative consequences both for the sovereignty of Kazakhstan and for the security of the entire region.