NO UNAUTHORIZED COOPERATION WITH FOREIGNERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000377 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2016 TAGS: EAID KPAO PGOV UZ SUBJECT: NO UNAUTHORIZED COOPERATION WITH FOREIGNERS Classified By: AMB. JON R. PURNELL, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: An August 2005 decree of the GOU Higher Education Ministry effectively imposed a blanket prohibition on any cooperation between Uzbek educational institutions and foreign organizations without explicit prior government approval. The decree mentions the Peace Corps by name, and the closed American Corners by implication. Though already several months old, this document helps us understand why Uzbek educational institutions have retreated wholesale from contact with Embassy programs since mid-2005. End summary. ¶2. (C) On August 12, 2005, the Minister of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education (MHSSE) issued a decree "on improving and developing cooperation of higher educational institutions with foreign NGOs, donor organizations, educational institutions, and foundations." The decree notes that international organizations have an important role to play in helping "our motherland (become) more famous in the world for its rich history, great ancestors, culture, art, and sport achievements." However, it calls on domestic educational institutions to "coordinate" all international cooperation through the MHSSE and/or the MFA, in order to prevent international NGOs from exceeding their mandate or undertaking any program activity not specifically agreed upon in advance with the GOU's participation. The decree warns staff of educational institutions against allowing, in the context of international cooperation, the production of printed materials that include "incorrect evaluation of national sociopolitical and economic situations." (Comment: In other words, any and all criticism of GOU policies is strictly verboten. End comment.) The decree also mentions U.S. organizations such as the American Councils for International Education (ACCELS) and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX),as well as German and Korean organizations. It also notes that the GOU is paying close attention to all activities that send teachers or students abroad for exchanges and training, even going so far as to note that the issue was raised of not allowing students to leave the country for overseas study during the academic year. ¶3. (C) As if to leave no stone unturned, the decree specifically requires that "the establishment of language and cultural rooms or centers, resource centers, or foreign country information nooks in cooperation with foreign organizations must be coordinated with the Ministry of Higher Education." The text continues: "Foreign embassies have clear instructions to go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for any initiative related to cooperation with local organizations." The decree even mentions the Peace Corps by name in noting that all foreign institutions of any kind which wish to work in Uzbekistan must be properly accredited and registered with the GOU. Finally, the decree cites a previous presidential decree of December 2003, which required advance GOU "coordination" (Comment: i.e., "permission." End comment.) even in planning the agendas of individual events. ¶4. (C) Comment: Thinly veiled behind the bureaucratese, this decree of the Higher Education Ministry constitutes a comprehensive ban on all cooperation by Uzbek educational institutions with foreign organizations of any kind without explicit prior authorization from the government. The note on "foreign country information nooks" reads like a dictionary definition of the American Corners, all of which were closed by their Uzbek host institutions due to pressure from the GOU in 2005. The document, though already several months old, helps us to understand the basis behind the retreat of so many schools from cooperation in Embassy programs and in moves against organizations that facilitate exchanges, such as ACCELS and IREX. PURNELL