Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Sabr Yessimbekov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Japan, said the recent unrest in his country will not affect economic relations with Japan.

He also confirmed that religious elements did not influence the riots.

“We follow the international agreements with all of our partners,” he said. “When the rapid security forces were deployed in the country, some were stationed near strategic objects, including the sites for the Kazakhstan-Japanese companies and the uranium production facilities,” Yessimbekov told a press conference in Tokyo.

Early this month, Kazakhstan experienced the deadliest outbreak of violence in 30 years of independence, during which people were killed, thousands detained, and public buildings torched. The government blamed the unrest on “mobs and terrorists.”

As this week marks the anniversary of establishing Kazakh-Japan diplomatic relations, the ambassador expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Japanese government and people to strengthen the bilateral relations.

Regarding the recent unrest in his country, the ambassador said the Kazakh people have the right and freedom to express their opinions and will. “When demonstrations are peaceful, nobody can go against them, especially the government.”

Yessimbekov played down reports of religious extremists or that his country has some development similar to the ‘Arab Spring’.

“I don’t think that what happened in Kazakhstan is a development in the way that Arab Spring has shown. I, however, see one big similarity. The base for what happened is a social issue. People don’t go to the street if they are happy. But the mobs gained momentum, and the natural dissatisfaction turned into cruel action.

“I am not using special words such as ‘religious extremists’ or ‘Islamic extremists’. I am certainly not blaming any existing religions and groups for being involved in Kazakhstan events. I would say, extremists, in my words, are those who act against the current political order in a very frightening way, bearing weapons and killing other people.”