Deposed President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev left the country April 15 for neighboring Kazakhstan, allaying fears of a civil war in the Central Asian nation.

The presidents of the United States, Russia and Kazakhstan helped arrange for Bakiyev to leave the country, Kazakhstan said in its role as the rotating chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It called Bakiyev's move "an important step toward the prevention of a civil war in Kyrgyzstan."

"We avoided new bloodshed," said Kyrgyzstan's provisional leader, Roza Otunbayeva. "People in all parts of the country are united in their condemnation of the bloody regime."

Witnesses said Bakiyev flew out from the southern city of Jalal-Abad in a military transport aircraft. The Kremlin said later that the Russian Defense Ministry arranged the flight.

AP