KAZAKHSTAN: NEW DIRECTORS NAMED FOR TWO INTERIOR MINISTRY

UNCLAS ASTANA 000210 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/AAE, G/TIP, SCA/CEN (O'MARA) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SOCI SNAR KCRM KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: NEW DIRECTORS NAMED FOR TWO INTERIOR MINISTRY TRAINING INSTITUTES ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On January 9, the Karaganda Legal Institute of the Ministry of Interior (MVD) and the MVD Academy in Almaty swapped directors. General Major Serik Yerkenov is the new director of the Legal Institute and General Dzhan Kenzhetayev is the new director of the MVD Academy. INL has close cooperation with both institutions. END SUMMARY. MVD ACADEMY HOME TO COUNTER-NARCOTICS CENTER ¶2. (U) New MVD Academy head General Dzhan Kenzhetayev was previously director of the MVD's Karaganda Legal Institute beginning March 2004. He graduated from the MVD Institute in 1978, and has also served stints as head of the MVD's human resources and internal security divisions, and as director of the Financial Police Academy. ¶3. (U) The MVD Academy is home to the Scientific and Analytical Training Center on Combating Drugs to which INL has provided computers and conference and interpretation equipment. INL plans to conduct train-the-trainer programs to increase the capacity of the Center's instructors and to sponsor training sessions for police officers studying at the Center. KARANGANDA LEGAL INSTITUTE HOUSES TIP CENTER ¶4. (U) The new director of the MVD's Karaganda Legal Institute, General Major Serik Yerkenov, came to Karaganda from the MVD Academy in Almaty, where he served as director for almost seven years. He graduated from the Legal Institute in 1975 and has been working within the MVD's educational structures for his entire career. ¶5. (U) The Karaganda Legal Institute is home to the INL-sponsored Study Center on Combating Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (TIP Center) which was opened in 2005. The TIP Center provides a location for MVD officers to receive in-service training on uncovering and investigating human trafficking. INL and the MVD regularly co-sponsor TIP training seminars conducted by Kazakhstani and international experts at the TIP Center. In addition, the TIP Center serves as a venue for conducting law enforcement seminars and roundtables to discuss TIP issues. ¶6. (U) In October 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Alpamys Zhumagaliyev was appointed to be the new director of the TIP Center, replacing Colonel Bolat Kadyrov. Zhumagaliyev previously worked in the Legal Institute for thirteen years as a regimental commander and a trainer. Kadyrov, who retired, had been the director of the TIP Center since its establishment. Under his supervision, more than two hundred police officers from different regions of Kazakhstan were trained at the TIP Center. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT. Though INL sometimes had a difficult relationship with Kenzhetayev during his tenure as head of the Legal Institute, we had excellent working relations with former TIP Center head Kadyrov. Much has been accomplished at the TIP Center to date. Since his appointment to head the TIP Center, Zhumagaliyev has seemed unsure about how the Center operates and how to promote interaction among the TIP Center, INL, and International Organization for Migration (IOM). However, he has been eager to learn and has been open to working closely with us. INL will take the next available opportunity to sit down with new Legal Institute head General Major Yerkenov to discuss the importance of the TIP Center and our hopes for the future. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND