“I didn’t go anywhere.” Nazarbayev made his first address to the people after the protests

Former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev made his first public appearance since the protests in the country - he made an appeal in which he stated that he had not left anywhere and was on a well-deserved rest.

“Responding to numerous appeals addressed to me and in connection with publications in the media, I inform you that in 2019 I transferred the powers of the President to Kossym-Jomart Tokayev, since then I have been a pensioner and am currently on a well-deserved rest in the capital of Kazakhstan and I didn't go anywhere," he said.

Tokayev, the ex-president noted, has full power, he is the chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan, and soon he will head the ruling Nur Otan party. There is no conflict among the elite of Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev stressed: "The rumors on this subject are absolutely groundless."

According to him, the purpose of the protests held in January was "the destruction of the integrity of the country and the foundations of our state." “These events once again show that independence must be protected like the apple of an eye, like a fragile vessel that requires especially careful handling,” he added.

• Protests that escalated into riots took place in Kazakhstan at the very beginning of January. Tokayev dissolved the government, took over as chairman of the Security Council instead of Nazarbayev, and asked for help from the CSTO. in the country for a while Peacekeepers of the organization arrived .
• During and after the protests, Nazarbayev did not appear in public. His whereabouts were unknown. The Guardian the day before, on January 17, published an article about Nazarbayev: a newspaper source said that the ex-leader was in China, and his former adviser Yermukhamet Yertysbayev claimed that he remained in Kazakhstan. One of the interlocutors of the publication noted that Nazarbayev is alive and is conducting "fierce negotiations" with Tokayev about the "redistribution of assets, production and rent."
• The Bell learned from entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan how they survived the pogroms, why they decided not to protect their business from looters, and how much money they lost over several holidays.