Public Diplomacy Captivates Mongolian Media by Highlighting

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ULAANBAATAR 000841 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OEXC PREL EAID SCUL KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC MG SUBJECT: Public Diplomacy Captivates Mongolian Media by Highlighting November 2005 POTUS Visit ULAANBAATA 00000841 001.2 OF 002 1.(U) SUMMARY: The anniversary of President Bush's November 21, 2005, visit to Mongolia was marked by extensive coverage in the Mongolian media, in large part stimulated by post's concerted effort to use the anniversary to highlight US-Mongolia cooperation. Post used the week leading up to the anniversary for a series of high visibility events demonstrating the breadth of US interest in Mongolia. Post marked the anniversary itself with a targeted public diplomacy strategy drawing attention to the President's historic visit and accomplishments since November 2005. Mongolian press coverage combined positive reflections with an underlying theme of optimism regarding future ties. END SUMMARY. -------------- Post's Strategic Preview -------------- 2.(U) Post focused Mongolian media and public attention on the relationship with a series of high visibility events in the week preceding the anniversary. 3.(U) US government efforts to support cultural preservation in Mongolia were widely covered by Mongolian media on November 13 and ¶14. TV networks Eagle TV, Channel 25, and UBS all covered Ambassador Minton's November 13 speech at a press conference, organized by the Embassy, describing the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation project to document Buddhist monasteries that were destroyed during the socialist period. The Ambassador presented a ceremonial check for US$29,931, showing American generosity in an important area, emphasizing the importance of Mongolian culture itself and without making any political, commercial, or military connections. The Mongolian wire service MONTSAME also reported on the event. 4.(U) US government contributions to Mongolian young people and education were highlighted by the Mongolian media on November 14 and 15, as a result of an Embassy ceremony featuring Ambassador Minton's presentation of the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs' Access Microscholarships to Mongolian high school students - a deliverable from the President's 2005 visit. Six television stations, TV8, TV5, Eagle TV, Channel 25, MM Agency and NTV, covered the November 14 ceremony to provide special after-school English classes for twenty students from the low-income yurt districts surrounding Ulaanbaatar. Ambassador Minton presented certificates for participants in the program, focusing on how the Access Microscholarship program stemmed from President Bush's November 2005 visit to Mongolia. The event presented an opportunity for Mongolian high school students to serve as spokespersons sharing this story of American support to the Mongolian people. Unen, the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party-affiliated newspaper, carried a photo of the Ambassador with the students on its front page. (Note: A subsequent November 20 presentation ceremony conducted by the DCM visiting eastern-most Dornod province was also covered by local media.) 5.(U) US government interest in promoting American private investment in Mongolia gained wide play after the Ambassador's November 16 interview with Reuters. Quoting Ambassador Minton, the Reuters article highlighted the Embassy's interest in expanding opportunities for US business and the associated benefits for Mongolia. 6.(U) The weeklong preview was capped with President Enkhbayar's attendance at the 15th anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps in Mongolia. The event focused attention on Peace Corps Volunteers' service in communities throughout Mongolia, with President Enkhbayar and Ambassador Minton praising volunteers for their contributions. MM TV, TV 9, Eagle TV, Channel 25, NTV, and newspapers Zuuny Medee, Unen, and Mongol Messenger all covered this high visibility event. -------------- Highlighting the Anniversary -------------- 7.(U) The Embassy utilized the anniversary to focus Mongolian attention on the breadth of US-Mongolia cooperation and the commitment of the United States to Mongolia's economic development and democratization. An opinion editorial by the Ambassador reflected on how President Bush's visit energized US-Mongolia ties. This was sent to all media outlets and posted on the Embassy website at: http://mongolia.usembassy.gov/11/21/06.html 8.(U) Post's strategy worked with UBS TV airing an eight minute retrospective on President Bush's visit to Mongolia on November 20, the eve of the anniversary, citing the Ambassador's opinion ULAANBAATA 00000841 002.2 OF 002 editorial and mentioning the recent microscholarships. 9.(U) The Ambassador hosted a luncheon with President Enkhbayar as the guest-of-honor, and official Embassy and Presidential photographers documented the event designed to commemorate the anniversary. Major daily Odriin Sonin carried a front page article and photo on November 23 drawn from a press release and photograph which was distributed to all media outlets and posted on the Embassy website: http://mongolia.usembassy.gov/11/21/07.html 10.(U) The Political Officer participated in a live interview on the top-rated news program on the anniversary date of November 21 and the segment was rebroadcast later in the day and again on November ¶22. Eagle TV The program highlighted how American interest in Mongolia has deepened since the President's visit. This station, Eagle TV, interviewed President Bush during his visit and courted the Embassy for this one year retrospective. 10.(U) The Ministry of Road, Transport and Tourism held a ceremony to present to the Mongolian President's office and the Embassy a previously issued postage stamp of President Bush's November 2005 visit. The stamp features President Bush sitting with President Enkhbayar. TV networks MNTV, Channel 25, UBS, and MNT covered the PAO receiving the stamp to forward to the White House. The event offered an opportunity for the PAO to reinforce the wide range of US interest in Mongolia. 11.(U) Apart from the postage stamp event, MN, UBS and MNTV aired lengthy retrospectives on President Bush's visit to Mongolia, quoting Ambassador Minton's opinion editorial. 12.(U) Comment: Media coverage helped remind Mongolians of a President Bush's visit, the first ever by a U.S. president and a source of great pride for most Mongolians. The positive feelings generated by the President's November 2005 visit and the commemoration of that visit over the past two weeks bode well for public diplomacy efforts as post prepares for a year that will mark the twentieth anniversary of diplomatic relations and a potential Millennium Challenge Account compact agreement. Two media reports, in particular, indicate post's efforts are paying dividends: Channel 25 asked the postage stamp designer if a commemorative stamp was made after President Putin's visit to Mongolia in 2000. After hesitating, he answered, "Not yet." Similarly, the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party-affiliated newspaper, Unen, carried a story on November 22, "MCA assistance brings big opportunities and big responsibilities too." It stated, "Now it is time to use this funding efficiently to avoid losing our good friend." MINTON