The French president and the head of the European Commission said they were concerned about the deadly clashes in Kazakhstan during a joint press conference in Paris on Friday, calling for restraint amid a deadly crackdown on protesters.
"Citizens' rights and security are fundamental and must be guaranteed. I call for an end to the violence and for restraint. The EU is ready to help where it can," Ursula von der Leyen told reporters alongside France's Emmanuel Macron, who said he fully echoed her comments.
The French president said he would continue to monitor developments in the former Soviet country, where President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday he had given shoot-to-kill orders to security forces.
The Kazakhstan uprising began as protests in oil-rich western regions against the removal of state price caps for butane and propane, but the protests then intensified and spread, with several deaths reported.
Macron and von der Leyen's press conference at the Elysée Palace marked the start of France's six-month presidency of the EU.
The French leader has announced an ambitious agenda for the 27-member bloc, stressing that 2022 "must be a turning point for Europe".
Analysts say the rotating EU presidency could serve his domestic campaign for a second term in office, with less than 100 days to go before France's presidential election.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
