Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASTANA2160
2009-12-19 03:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Astana
Cable title:  

KAZAKHSTAN: DFM UMAROV DETAILS HIS DISSIDENT PAST TO A/S

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR KDEM KNNP SOCI OSCE KZ 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 002160 

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM KNNP SOCI OSCE KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: DFM UMAROV DETAILS HIS DISSIDENT PAST TO A/S
BLAKE

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 002160

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STATE FOR S, D, P, SCA/CEN, INR/B, EUR/RPM, DRL
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM KNNP SOCI OSCE KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: DFM UMAROV DETAILS HIS DISSIDENT PAST TO A/S
BLAKE

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1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: A/S Robert Blake concluded his successful
three-day visit to Kazakhstan with an elegant but relaxed dinner
hosted by Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Umarov on December 15.
Umarov revealed in great detail his personal journey from Soviet
anti-nuclear dissident in the 1980s to senior diplomat today.
Umarov explained why he believes the opposition plays an important
role in society and expressed hope for strengthened high-level
contacts. Blake and Umarov pledged to work through the tough issues
on our bilateral agenda. It is remarkable that Umarov was so open
in front of the most junior officers from his Foreign Ministry's
Americas Desk, and indicates where Kazakhstan could go in its
democratic evolution. This kind of "hospitality evening" is
essential for building trust and will pay dividends as Blake and
Umarov lead our Annual Bilateral Consultations. END SUMMARY.

SOVIET-ERA ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT SHAPED UMAROV


3. (SBU) Umarov warmly welcomed Assistant Secretary of State for
South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and the other U.S.
guests to his elegant table in a private room at the Rixos hotel.
After initial pleasantries, Umarov began a long meditation on his
evolution from Soviet-era anti-nuclear dissident to senior
international diplomat. He said that he was inspired to join the
anti-nuclear movement in the dying days of the USSR because of the
genuine outpouring of popular anguish over increased deformities in
children and contamination in livestock and products from the 465
nuclear tests that the Soviet Union had conducted near Semipalatinsk
on the territory of what became independent Kazakhstan. Umarov said
he supported the Semei-Nevada International Anti-Nuclear Movement,
founded by the Kazakhstani activist and poet (now Kazakhstan's
ambassador to UNESCO) Olzhas Suleimenov. He added that the
Semei-Nevada movement is where he developed his respect for the

opposition. "We need them to hold us accountable and sharpen our
minds."

LINGUISTIC SKILLS CREATE A DIPLOMAT


4. (SBU) By 1996 Umarov had become a trade unionist, but his
intellectual talents and excellent English-language skills brought
him to the attention of Kanat Saudabayev, then head of the fledgling
nation's consular service. According to Umarov, Kazakhstan had no
embassies at that time, but he accepted Saudabeyev's offer to join
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as its 18th officer. In those early
days Umarov sometimes served as President Nazarbayev's translator,
and Nazarbayev, taking a shine to the young man, told him about the
weight of responsibility he felt in taking the uncertain nation into
its independence. Nazarbayev told Umarov that he wanted Kazakhstan
to be known not just for its leadership on nuclear weapons -- after
all they had not chosen for the weapons to be in the country -- but
for its economic and social progress. In the face of staunch
opposition from "red directors" and a "red parliament" to his
proposed reforms, Nazarbayev had the constitution amended to permit
more private investment, and for that, Umarov gave him real credit.


PRAISE FOR SECRETARY CLINTON - PAST AND PRESENT


5. (SBU) Throughout the evening, Umarov returned to praise the
United States and its role in Kazakhstan's evolution. State
Secretary-Foreign Minister Saudabayev expressed appreciation for the
Secretary's Independence Day message, and Umarov's staff wanted to
make sure we received Saudabayev's letter of appreciation to
Secretary Clinton (NOTE: Pouched to the Department. END NOTE).
Umarov praised former U.S. Ambassadors Elizabeth Jones and Larry
Napper, who had pressed to move the U.S. Embassy to Astana,
Kazakhstan's new diplomatic capital, noting that many other
countries had dragged their feet on this controversial move.


6. (SBU) On a more personal note, Umarov warmly remembered his
first contacts with Hillary Clinton during her 1996 visit to

ASTANA 00002160 002.2 OF 002


Kazakhstan as America's First Lady. Umarov had served as the
interpreter during Mrs. Clinton's tour of the Almaty museum. He was
impressed with her genuine interest in Abai Kunanbayev
(Qunanbayuli),Kazakhstan's great intellectual hero, known as
"Abai." Umarov was doubly impressed when the next day the First
Lady repeated some of the guide's words about Abai in her public
comments. Umarov said he became a fan forever when he received U.S.
Presidential cuff links from the First Lady, which he still
cherishes. Umarov was especially pleased when Blake said that
shortly after his swearing in, he had suggested to Secretary Clinton
that she read "Apples are From Kazakhstan," the travelogue that
offers an insightful picture of the country's historical, political,
and cultural landscape. Blake noted, to Umarov's delight, that the
Secretary had praised it and recommended it to those around her,
including her senior staff and her spouse.


7. (SBU) COMMENT: "Hospitality dinners" are essential in this
political culture, because that is where the trust is forged to
solve problems and achieve results. Umarov is one of Kazakhstan's
best up-and-coming diplomats, and he skillfully used the dinner to
build the personal relationships that are key to advancing
Kazakhstan's agenda and our interests, and that will pay off when he
and Blake lead our Annual Bilateral Consultations. He highlighted
his government's key themes: the desire for high-level engagement
with the United States, more recognition of its non-proliferation
legacy, the historical role of civil society even in
pre-independence Kazakhstan, and the intellectual and social
mobility that exists in this intriguing society. The warm tone of
the evening and the several toasts -- to Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, to her possible visit, to Kazakhstan's independence, and to
the "free people of Kazakhstan" -- showed the government's earnest
desire to strengthen its strategic partnership with the United
States in every forum and at every level. Equally intriguing to us
was Umarov laying out his personal history and praising the
constructive role of the opposition before the members of the MFA'S
Americas Desk, including its most junior officers. END COMMENT.


8. (SBU) A/S Blake has cleared this cable.

HOAGLAND