AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON KYRGYZ FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000892 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR KG SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON KYRGYZ FOREIGN MINISTER REF: A. STATE 93357 ¶B. STATE 92669 ¶C. STATE 92333 BISHKEK 00000892 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Tatiana Gfoeller, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Ambassador delivered copies of her credentials to Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Karabayev during a brief introductory meeting September 2. Ambassador stressed that she hoped to strengthen the bilateral relationship in areas of shared values and interests, including security cooperation, economic development, good governance, and education. Ambassador also delivered Ref A points asking the Kyrgyz government to refrain from recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia during the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) meeting September 5 in Moscow. Karabayev said he welcomed further development of the bilateral relationship, particularly in the sphere of economics and trade. Karabayev asked for a quick decision on the Kyrgyz request to establish a consulate in New York, and he asked for U.S. assistance to establish monitoring stations to measure damage caused by fuel dumping by U.S. airplanes. Referring to the CSTO meeting, Karabayev said that the Kyrgyz government would make any decisions in line with its national interests. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On September 2, Ambassador Gfoeller paid a brief introductory call on Foreign Minister Ednan Karabayev in order to deliver a copy of her letter of credence. Ambassador thanked Karabayev for meeting with her on her first day of work in Kyrgyzstan. She congratulated Karabayev on the 17th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's independence, and gave him a copy of President Bush's national day message to President Bakiyev (Ref C). Noting the Secretary's letter of condolence to Karabayev (Ref B),Ambassador also expressed condolences over the August 24 airplane crash near Manas International Airport. ¶3. (C) Ambassador said that she hoped to build on the accomplishments of former Ambassador Yovanovitch and continue to strengthen the U.S.-Kyrgyz bilateral relationship. Ambassador said that she wanted to build a stronger relationship based on shared interests and values, including security and anti-terrorism cooperation through the Manas Coalition Air Base. She said that the United States was committed to helping Kyrgyzstan build its democracy and good governance, particularly through the Millennium Challenge program, and she said we would continue to look for opportunities to build economic and trade relations. Ambassador also noted the importance of bilateral cooperation on education, with the American University of Central Asia being a centerpiece of that effort. ¶4. (C) Karabayev welcomed the Ambassador to Krygyzstan. He praised the work of former Ambassador Yovanovitch, and he said he looked forward to working closely her during her tenure here. Karabayev said he wanted to get past "problem areas," such as the Manas Air Base, and concentrate on greater cooperation in the sphere of economy and trade; he hoped that the two sides could realize "concrete projects." ¶5. (C) Karabayev asked for a fast response from the Department on the Kyrgyz government's request to accredit a consular officer and open consular services in New York. Karabayev said there was an increasing number of Kyrgyz citizens in the New York area who need such services. Ambassador told Karabayev that she would try to get an answer as quickly as possible. ¶6. (C) Karabayev said that the natural environment, with mountains, glaciers, and water, was Kyrgyzstan's biggest asset. He then asserted that fuel dumped from U.S. airplanes operating out of Manas Air Base was threatening the BISHKEK 00000892 002.2 OF 002 environment. He asked for U.S. assistance to establish monitoring stations around the country to measure the damage to the environment. (Note: A KC-135R Stratotanker assigned to Manas Air Base dumped 31,000 liters of fuel at approximately 7300 meters above ground level in a remote mountain area in southern Kyrgyzstan as the result of an in-flight emergency in June 2008. This was the first fuel dumping from a U.S plane in Kyrgyzstan since September 2005. End note.) ¶7. (C) Karabayev also raised the Yasynov case. (Note: Karabayev was referring to a Kyrgyz citizen who was allegedly injured as a result of a 1999 road accident involving a vehicle driven by an embassy officer. The U.S. government has declined to accept the jurisdiction of a Kyrgyz court, essentially asserting sovereign immunity in the matter. End note.) ¶8. (C) Ambassador raised Ref A points concerning Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. She expressed appreciation that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, at its August 28 summit meeting, had not recognized the independence of Georgia's breakaway territories. Ambassador urged that CSTO members not allow Russia to use the September 5 meeting to secure international recognition for the territories. Ambassador also asked how the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),which will hold its summit meeting in Bishkek October 10, will approach the issue. Karabayev visibly tensed up at the mention of the SCO, CSTO, and CIS meetings. He gave a very general statement that all international organizations needed to strengthen their mechanisms of cooperation. Referring to the CSTO meeting, Karabayev said that the Kyrgyz government would make any decisions in line with its national interests. ¶9. (C) Comment: Two forces were in play during the meeting. On one hand, Karabayev appeared on edge at any mention of Russia or the summit meetings, and he clearly did not want to talk about Russia's actions in Georgia. He also cast his review of the bilateral relationship, including the Manas Air Base and fuel dumping, as problems. However, on the positive side, Karabayev made a point of meeting with the Ambassador on her first day in the office. Her MFA meeting had been set with the Deputy Foreign Minister, but Karabayev, who complained in an aside to the Ambassador that he had to travel early the next morning, made time to take the meeting himself. He was cordial throughout, but he seemed a man under pressure. GFOELLER