KAZAKHSTAN: MFA REASSURES VISITING SCA/CEN DIRECTOR THAT

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STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, ISN

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TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM OSCE KNNP TU KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: MFA REASSURES VISITING SCA/CEN DIRECTOR THAT
KAZAKHSTAN WILL UPHOLD ODIHR'S MANDATE


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


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: MFA Americas Department Director Askar Tazhiyev
told visiting SCA/CEN Director Tom Hushek on April 8 that Kazakhstan
is committed to upholding ODIHR's mandate during its 2010 OSCE
Chairmanship. Tazhiyev explained Kazakhstan's view of the top
priorities in Afghanistan and floated the idea of the United States
"using its influence" to help Central Asian states come to agreement
on water, energy, and border issues. Tazhiyev reiterated that a
visit by President Obama to Kazakhstan would "send an important
signal" on the bilateral relationship. During a lunch with
representatives of the diplomatic corps, Turkish Ambassador to
Kazakhstan Attila Gunay railed against the European Union, in
particular France and Germany, for stalling on Turkey's EU
membership. The ambassadors gave President Nazarbayev high marks
for his expert balancing of relations with Russia, China, and the
United States. They also agreed that by continuously rotating a
small cadre of political elite through various high-level government
assignments, Nazarbayev assures loyalty and political stability. In
a separate meeting, Vice Minister of Energy Asset Magauov told
Hushek that he fully understands that Kazakhstan needs to follow
through on its funding commitments for the joint U.S.-Kazakhstani
project to decommission and store spent fuel from Kazakhstan's
BN-350 plutonium reactor, but admitted that few in the government
understand the full scope and urgency of the project. END SUMMARY.

MFA REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO UPHOLD ODIHR'S MANDATE


3. (SBU) Visiting SCA/CEN Director Tom Hushek met on April 8 in
Astana with MFA Americas Department Director Askar Tazhiyev.
Tazhiyev, who has previously served at the Kazakhstani Embassy in
Washington, was open and relaxed, speaking in fluent idiomatic
English and peppering the conversation with light-hearted jokes.
Referring to the widely-reported invitation to visit Kazakhstan
which Senate Chairman Tokayev delivered to President Obama in
Istanbul, Tazhiyev said that an Obama visit would "send an important
signal" about the U.S.- Kazakhstan bilateral relationship. He
welcomed President Obama's emphasis on Afghanistan and shared what
Kazakhstan sees as the top priorities there -- education for girls,
job creation in agriculture, and good governance. Tazhiyev
postulated that Afghanistan -- "an Asian nation" -- will need some
time to adjust to "an open democracy." Asked about Kazakhstan's
priorities for its 2010 OSCE chairmanship, Tazhiyev said the focus
will be on moving frozen conflicts towards resolution, "although it
will be hard." He stressed that Kazakhstan is committed to
upholding ODIHR's mandate, and supports the idea of ODIHR observing
the Afghan elections. Tazhiyev added that he wished the United
States "would use its influence" to bring Central AsianQtes to
agreement on the plethora of outstanding disputes on water rights,
energy, and borders. "Let me be frank," he confided, "Moscow still
decides (the major questions)" -- but the region needs a more honest
broker. Hushek explained there were limits to what the United
States could do -- which led Tazhiyev to admit that the Central
Asian states themselves have to take responsibility for coming up
with permanent solutions.

TURKISH AMBASSADOR RAILS AGAINST THE EU


4. (SBU) On April 7, the Ambassador hosted a lunch in Hushek's
honor with senior diplomats from like-minded countries. The guests
included Turkish Ambassador Attila Gunay, Czech Ambassador Bedrich
Kopecky, Swiss Ambassador Stephan Nellen, Indian Ambassador Ashok
Sajjanhar, German DCM Wolfgang Brett, Dutch DCM Maurits ter Kuile,
European Commission DCM Hubert Petit. The lunch conversation was
for the most part cordial and open, although the tone became
somewhat strained when the subject of Turkey's EU membership came
up. Ambassador Gunay reacted quite emotionally to a light-hearted
joke that Kazakhstan could lay a claim to EU membership by the
virtue of the large section of its territory that lies west of the
Ural River and is thus in Europe -- a landmass larger than the
European territory of EU candidate Turkey. "This issue is very
serious," a visibly irked Gunay said, explaining that Turkey's bid

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for EU membership cannot be compared to any Kazakhstani claim.
Gunay praised President Obama for supporting Turkey's candidacy and
railed against Germany and France for putting the brakes on it "once
again" and for refusing to go beyond the stage of "special
relationship." In Turkey, this is read as "not being wanted" in
Europe, he maintained. Gunay argued that Turkey has complied with
all its commitments since negotiations began in 1963, but that the
EU has consistently failed to "live up to its promises." "It's like
we are not part of civilization," he charged. Gunay stated his
views so strongly and emotionally that embarrassed silence ensued.


NAZARBAYEV'S FOREIGN POLICY -- "NOT A ZERO SUM GAME"


5. (SBU) Diffusing the situation, the Ambassador steered the
conversation toward Kazakhstan and its external relations. Indian
Ambassador Sajjanhar said he sees great potential for
Indian-Kazakhstani relations, but admitted that greater economic
cooperation is hindered by lack of direct transport routes. Hushek
pointed out that India's support for Kazakhstan's requested
membership in the IAEA's Middle East and South Asia (MESA) group
would go a long way in strengthening the bilateral ties. Sajjanhar
agreed, saying that he is in contact with India's ambassador to the
IAEA on the subject. All the participants agreed that President
Nazarbayev has shown great skill in pursuing the multi-vector policy
of balancing Kazakhstan's relations with Russia, China, the United
States, and, more recently, the EU. "To him, it is not a zero-sum
game, he sees the benefits in all these relationships," summed up
Sajjanhar.

INTERNAL POLITICS -- THE ELITE MERRY-GO-ROUND


6. (SBU) Swiss Ambassador Nellen noted that the recent reshuffling
of high-level officials in the law enforcement and justice sectors
exemplifies Nazarbayev's strategy for maintaining political control
-- "keep your elites rotating." The lunch guests agreed that
Nazarbayev's practice of periodically rotating top jobs among the
same cadre of political loyalists assures political stability --
since these political elites know they will always have cushy
assignments -- while preventing any of them from developing their
own strong power bases. However, the lunch attendees agreed that
changes will come when the Bolashak generation -- i.e., the
generation of students educated abroad -- will begin assuming
positions of greater responsibility within the government in large
numbers.

BN-350 -- PROBLEMS IN COMMUNICATION


7. (SBU) During an April 8 meeting, recently appointed Deputy
Minister of Energy Asset Magauov told Hushek and the DCM that he
fully understands that Kazakhstan needs to follow through on its
funding commitments for the joint U.S.-Kazakhstani project to
decommission and store spent fuel from Kazakhstan's BN-350 plutonium
reactor. He raised the BN-350 project unprompted, thanked the U.S.
government for its own contribution, and stressed that he sees the
project's timely completion as "essential." He confided, however,
that few in the government share his sense of urgency or, for that
matter, understand the whole concept of the project. This means
that when BN-350-related budgetary requests get submitted to
Kazakhstani parliament -- "five million here or there" -- it is easy
for the parliamentarians to push the financing back another year.
Magauov said he has been lobbying Minister of Energy Mynbayev to
explain the breadth and importance of the project to Prime Minister
Masimov in order to get Masimov's backing to press for the necessary
financing from parliament.

HOAGLAND