Many countries around the world said the July 5 riot in northwest China is an internal affair of the country, and the Chinese government is handling the incident properly.

A spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Andrei Popov, said Xinjiang is an inalienable part of China, and the unrest is a purely internal matter of China.

The riot in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, left 197 people dead and more than 1,680 injured.

Popov also expressed hope that China could soon restore stability in the region by adopting effective measures in accordance with the law.

He said Belarus expresses its deep sympathy to the people who suffered personal injuries or loss of property during the violence.

A spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, Abdul Basit, said his country deplores any attempt to hinder China's progress.

"We deplore any such attempt" which tries to impede the progress which has been achieved by China in the context of social harmony, he said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"We are committed not to allow any element in Pakistan to work against the interests of China because China's interests are Pakistan's interests. We cannot allow any activity that will damage China's interests," Basit said.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued shortly after the Urumqi riot, applauded the efforts of the Chinese leadership to promote the concept of harmony both at home, in Asia and the rest of the world.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said his country supports the principle of resolving the issue within the framework of the territorial integrity of China.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the country highly values its relations with China and does not intend to interfere in China's internal affairs.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday the July 5 riot is a domestic issue of China and it believs China is capable of stabilizing the situation and restoring peace and harmony in Xinjiang.

Combodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said: "The Chinese government is taking appropriate measures to handle the issue."

The Foreign Ministry of Laos also issued a statement on the July 5 riot. It said Laos believes the measures the Chinese government has adopted to safeguard social stability are necessary and legitimate, and expressed hope the government could bring peace back to the region at an early date.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2009)