Germany: Violence 'not an acceptable means of political debate’ - gov spox on Kazakh protests

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Government representatives called for an end to the recent violence seen during protests in Kazakhstan during a press conference in Berlin on Monday, with one spokesperson stating that violence is ‘not an acceptable means of political debate.’

Federal Government Spokesperson Christian Hoffmann demanded that the government of Kazakhstan take ‘responsibility for the protection of its population.’

“Violence is not an acceptable means of political debate. The federal government demands that all those involved immediately bring an end to the violence and move towards restraint,” Hoffmann continued.

Government representatives went on to comment on current tensions between Ukraine and Russia, with Hoffman stating that the issue would ‘only be resolved politically and diplomatically, and not militarily.’

“The federal government is of course committed to the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine: they are not up for dispute,” Hoffmann continued.

The issue will be discussed further during talks in Geneva on Wednesday during the NATO-Russia Council, and on Thursday under the framework of the OSCE.

The unrest in Kazakhstan started after unauthorised rallies began in the Mangistau region on January 2, as prices of LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) rose from 60 to 120 tenge (€0.12 to €0.24; $0.14 to $0.28) per litre since January 1. The price hike came after the government lifted price controls on LPG, citing a need to liberalise the market.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health, over 1,300 people have been injured during the ongoing protests, and almost 400 have been hospitalised. Over 4,000 people have been detained and dozens killed since the protests started.

SOUNDBITES:

SOT, Christian Hoffmann, German government spokesperson (German): “The federal government demands that this must stop immediately, the Kazakh government bears responsibility for the protection of its population, it has to take this into account, and I already said that here on Friday, violence is not an acceptable means of political debate. The federal government demands that all those involved immediately bring an end to the violence and move towards restraint.”

SOT, Andrea Sasse, Press Spokesperson of Foreign Ministry (German): “As Ms Hoffmann has just said, we are having a close look at the situation, and are of course speaking in different situations and in different formats about the situation in Kazakhstan, which is still confusing but we are observing certain signs of relaxation, at least concerning the security situation.”

SOT, Andrea Sasse, Press Spokesperson of Foreign Ministry (German): “I believe that in the current situation, it is important that talks take place in different formats. As far as the situation in Kazakhstan is concerned and also as far as the topic of Russia is concerned, the talks are taking place in different formats and we are now waiting to take part in the talks that are pending.”

SOT, Christian Hoffmann, German govt spokesperson (German): “In the case of the reports that are still fresh, namely about the order to shoot, the federal government is of the opinion that this order must be revoked. Such an order violates Kazakhstan’s legal obligation to respect and protect its citizens.”

SOT, Sebastian Gulde, Health Ministry Spokesperson (German): “We have to prepare for the Omicron wave, which means we will probably also experience a rapid increase in new infections here. We have up to now been able to stop the Omicron wave comparatively well with our measures or, better said, we can delay it, but we will not prevent it, and so in the near future we are likely to experience an exhaustion of PCR test capacities to a relatively high degree.”

SOT, Marek Wede, Interior Ministry Spokesperson (German): “There have already been extensive protests for a long time in the context of the coronavirus situation that the police are prepared for, the emergency services of the federal states have been able to deal with this occurrence so far, where necessary the federal police provide support and that will also continue to happen. Where the support of the federal police is required, we will support it.”

SOT, Christian Hoffmann, German govt spokesperson (German): “We have heard this question twice now. The Chancellor is convinced that there should be a general vaccination mandate in Germany and the timetable for this lies with the German Bundestag.”

#Bundespressekonferenz #Germany

Video ID: 20220110-041

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