VZCZCXRO1069
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHEK #1034 2820949
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080949Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1430
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2989
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHPNH/NVC PORTSMOUTH NH
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 3803

UNCLAS BISHKEK 001034 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP: EHOLMES, CA/VO/F/P: MEARL, DS/CR/VG 
DEPT PASS TO KCC 
POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS 
FRANKFURT FOR RCO RON PACKOWITZ 
MOSCOW FOR USCIS SUZANNE SINCLAIR SMITH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC KG
SUBJECT:  CENTRAL ASIA'S FIRST REGIONAL FRAUD CONFERENCE 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On October 1-2, 2008, Embassy Bishkek hosted the 
first Central Asian regional anti-fraud conference at Lake Issyk 
Kul.  With fourteen participants from posts in Central Asia and 
representatives from USCIS Moscow, the conference was a great 
success as it highlighted the commonalities of Central Asian 
consular fraud trends while educating participants on 
country-specific threats to watch.  By holding the meeting outside 
of Bishkek, posts were able to gain useful knowledge and build 
regional connections while minimizing the fiscal impact on 
individual budgets.  Posts in the region hope that despite these 
times of budgetary constraints, modest conferences like this one 
will continue in the future as they provide invaluable information 
sharing and discussion.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Posts in Central Asia, such as Almaty, Ashgabat, Bishkek, 
Dushanbe, and Tashkent, have long enjoyed collaborative working 
relationships with each other.  Thanks to tools such as e-mail and 
Microsoft Office Communicator, officers are able to ask quick 
questions while on the line and seek guidance from each other.  This 
cooperation is vital considering the porous borders of the region 
and the various pockets of ethnic groups (Tajiks in Uzbekistan and 
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbeks in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan for example) that 
are the legacy of the mapmaking skills and forced ethnic divisions 
of the former Soviet Union.  Almaty in particular faces trials as it 
adjudicates the immigrant and diversity visas of Kyrgyzstan and 
Tajikistan.  In addition, three of the five Central Asian Embassies 
are one-officer consular posts.  While annual gatherings such as the 
Moscow Consular Conference have been useful in the past, it is 
sometimes difficult for all Central Asian posts to attend.  As the 
economies and governments of Russia, Ukraine, and the nations of the 
Caucuses have evolved over the last five years, Central Asia sees 
fewer and fewer consular commonalities with their former Soviet 
compatriots.  The problems and issues seen by Moscow and Kyiv are 
not the same issues facing Central Asia. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Posts in the region have long talked of attempting to hold 
their own conference.  In September 2008, the CA/FPP officer who 
covers the region received funding to visit all five Central Asian 
posts.  In conjunction with her visit, Bishkek proposed to host the 
first ever Central Asian Anti-Fraud Conference.  Kyrgyzstan 
volunteered to host for a variety of reasons - mainly due to the 
visa-free travel of diplomatic passport holders and the low costs of 
holding a conference outside of Bishkek.  By staying at a hotel in 
Lake Issyk Kul in the off season, per diem was a mere $74 a day for 
participants.  This allowed each post to send not only one or more 
FSO's but also send Locally Employed Staff.  Bishkek invited USCIS 
Moscow, who covers the region, and the Regional Consular Officer in 
Frankfurt. Almaty, Bishkek, Dushanbe, and Tashkent sent 
representatives.  Unfortunately due to scheduling problems, Ashgabat 
was unable to attend. 
 
¶4. (SBU) During the two-day conference, each post participated in 
round tables and presentations on topics such as Summer Work and 
Travel Fraud, IV/DV fraud, petition-based visa fraud and adoption 
fraud.  The representative from USCIS Moscow not only shared her 
overview of the region and refugee processing; but also shared her 
extensive previous experience in dealing with petition fraud from 
the USCIS point of view.  Exchanges such as these not only helped 
USCIS gain a better understanding of issues in the region but gave 
FSO's better tools in effectively pursuing petition revocations. 
The adoption fraud panel was chaired by Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. 
Both of these countries are facing runaway increases in the number 
of adoptions with little local government oversight. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: Despite the use of modern technology in consular 
work, nothing replaces face-to-face interaction.  While DVC's are 
useful for short meetings, they are not conducive to a lively 
discussion of ten or more people about intricate topics such as the 
minutia of an I-604 investigation.  It is hard to connect to another 
person when there are sound delays and interrupted video feed.  By 
involving Locally Employed Staff in this conference, posts were able 
to build regional links that will hopefully last long after FSO's 
have departed from post.  Bishkek believes that modest and 
well-organized conferences such as the one it hosted can have 
lasting dividends while placing little strain on limited resources. 
End Comment. 
 
Gfoeller