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O 191229Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7151
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 000532 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KG
SUBJECT: MFA PUBLICLY LASHES OUT AT AMBASSADOR 
 
REF: A. BISHKEK 497 
     ¶B. BISHKEK 343 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT:  On April 18, the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a sharply worded statement, 
rebuking Ambassador Yovanovitch for comments she made in 
support of Kyrgyzstan's participation in the Highly Indebted 
Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative during an April 15 interview 
with local media (MFA statement attached below).  The MFA 
statement said the Ambassador's words "diverged from the 
spirit of bilateral relations," and accused her of 
interfering in the internal affairs of Kyrgyzstan.  The MFA 
statement was unprecedented, both for its harsh tone and the 
public way it was released.  Nevertheless, the statement had 
little to do with HIPC and everything to do with Kyrgyz 
domestic politics, as well as posturing on the eve of 
Bakiyev's April 24 visit to Moscow.  The government is under 
severe pressure from the opposition, which is organizing a 
major demonstration on April 29 (reftel a).  In reaction to 
opposition plans, the government appears to be getting 
increasingly desperate, lashing out at the U.S. and 
opposition, in hopes of cowing both into silence.  The 
statement marked the MFA's third (but first public) reprimand 
of the Ambassador since February (reftel b).  END SUMMARY AND 
COMMENT. 
 
"WE STILL WANT GOOD RELATIONS WITH U.S." 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) On April 19, the Ambassador met with Foreign Minister 
Jekshenkulov and Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Ermek 
Ibraimov to discuss the MFA statement and President's 
statement on the Coalition Airbase (septel).  Ibraimov told 
the Ambassador that the statement had been an MFA initiative, 
and not at the behest of the Presidential Administration. 
Ibraimov said that MFA statement and President Bakiyev's 
April 19 public statement regarding Manas Airbase (septel) 
should not be interpreted as any kind of Kyrgyz desire to 
downgrade the bilateral relationship or provoke a 
confrontation.  It was merely an attempt to get Washington to 
speed up the negotiations. 
 
¶3.  (C) In a meeting later on April 19, Foreign Minister 
Jekshenkulov told the Ambassador that the MFA statement was 
"our position," (but didn't specify what "our" means) and 
said that he himself was against Kyrgyzstan's participation 
in the program.  Jekshenkulov said that the statement was 
aimed not only at the U.S., but also at the Russians, Kazakhs 
and others in the international community.  He also claimed 
that the statement was prompted after the MFA received a 
number of angry calls from parliamentarians and others 
complaining about the Ambassador's comments on HIPC.  Like 
Ibraimov, he denied any connection to the President's April 
19 statement regarding Manas Airbase, and urged the 
Ambassador to explain that Kyrgyzstan continues to want good 
relations with the U.S. 
 
¶4.  (C) Jekshenkulov denied that either statement was 
instigated by the Russians.  Later in the conversation, he 
noted that the Ambassador should "be careful."  Pointing 
north to Moscow, he said the Russian intelligence services 
are active in Kyrgyzstan, and are closely tied to the Kyrgyz 
services.  Jekshenkulov said that the Kyrgyz National 
Security Service (SNB) had recently provided a negative 
report on the Ambassador's activities to Bakiyev.  According 
to Jekshenkulov, the President, "a Leo," became very angry 
that "Maria wants a revolution." 
 
¶5.  (U) Begin MFA statement:  Lately the attention of the 
Kyrgyz public is chained to the issue of Kyrgyzstan's 
entering the international program HIPC, which provides a 
possible cancellation of a part of the external debt of the 
country. The hot discussions that have developed by the issue 
involving a wide spectrum of opinions directly underline the 
significance of the given issue to which, most likely, can 
 
BISHKEK 00000532  002 OF 003 
 
 
play a main role in the further political and social and 
economic development of our country. 
 
The urgency of this question is confirmed by the fact that 
representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in 
Kyrgyzstan are involved in the discussions. During regular 
meetings with the leadership of MFA, our foreign colleagues 
articulate their opinions and views concerning Kyrgyzstan's 
joining this program. At the same time, unfortunately, 
sometimes participation of representatives of foreign 
missions in discussion of the given theme goes beyond norms 
of diplomatic relations, and also diverge from the spirit of 
bilateral relations. In this connection, the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs would like to draw the attention to 
statements published in the local media by US Ambassador 
Yovanovitch, concerning Kyrgyzstan's participation in the 
HIPC program. 
 
In our opinion, Ambassador Yovanovitch did not chose the best 
way to express her point of view on this matter. When there 
is an active discussion of such an important question for the 
country, and when the country's leaders have not yet made 
their final decision on it, any public statement pro or con 
by foreign diplomats on internal political and economic 
problems is perceived as interference in the internal affairs 
of the country and puts certain pressure upon the leadership 
of Kyrgyzstan. In this connection, we would consider it 
pertinent to remind, that in conformity with clause 41 of the 
Vienna Convention about diplomatic relations, foreign 
diplomats "are obliged to respect with laws and regulations 
of the host state. They also are obliged not to interfere 
with internal affairs of this state." 
 
Moreover, we see as erroneous attempts by Ambassador 
Yovanovitch to present the experiences of 28 countries that 
entered the HIPC as positive. First, according to our data 
and data of the UN Commission on Trade, Harvard University, 
the American Council on the International Research and other 
influential organizations, it is simply contrary to  reality. 
Any country which has accepted conditions of the HIPC 
program, has not received the promised economic growth, and 
have kept the status of &raw material producing countries8. 
Secondly, everyone should understand, that any country has 
its own particular circumstances, that do not allow certain 
international formulas and schemes of economic policy to be 
automatically applied on them. 
 
In connection with the above-stated, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs calls on Ambassador Yovanovitch and heads of 
diplomatic missions accredited in Kyrgyzstan to refrain from 
further public statements deemed as interference into 
internal affairs of Kyrgyzstan and contrary to the spirit of 
mutual relations and the Vienna Convention on diplomatic 
relations, on issues not only concerning HIPC, but also on 
other internal problems of political and economic character. 
 
Defending the sovereign rights of Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs will adhere firmly henceforth to principles 
of the protection of national interests of Kyrgyzstan.  End 
MFA statement. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6.  (C) The Ambassador's comments on HIPC were innocuous, and 
both the Finance Ministry and Prime Minister's office support 
participating in the program (Bakiyev's position is unknown, 
although he supported the initiative last summer). 
Kyrgyzstan has officially applied to participate in HIPC - in 
most countries that would be considered an official country 
position, but not in Kyrgyzstan, where the Prime Minister and 
President can never agree. 
 
¶7.  (C) The Ambassador's interview provided an excuse for the 
MFA to publicly dress-down the U.S. on the eve of Bakiyev's 
April 24 visit to Moscow, and as the Kyrgyz Government grows 
more desperate by the day to stop opposition plans for a 
 
BISHKEK 00000532  003 OF 003 
 
 
massive demonstration on April 29.  In recent days the 
government has increasingly played from the Akayev crisis 
management handbook ) smear the opposition, lash out at the 
Americans, and cozy up to the Russians.  The MFA statement 
was intended to silence the U.S. and other international 
critics.  Recent U.S. public statements about the assault on 
civil society leader Edil Baisalov and public calls by SCA 
A/S Richard Boucher and the Ambassador on the Kyrgyz 
Government to tackle organized crime have received wide play 
here.  The MFA statement was likely an attempt to head off 
any further public comments by the Embassy.  The Ambassador 
intends to continue to voice the U.S. position and meet with 
representatives of all parts of Kyrgyz society and public 
life. 
YOVANOVITCH