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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 001300 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KG AF UZ TI
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ FOREIGN MINISTER PROTESTS "FAILED STATE" 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Foreign Minister Sarbayev called in the 
Ambassador to complain about the December 16 VOA article that 
said Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan could be considered "failed 
states."  Sarbayev, armed with a copy of DAS Krol's testimony 
and a translation of the Q&A, peppered the Ambassador with 
questions, ultimately asking if it was official U.S. policy 
to consider Kyrgyzstan a failed state, adding that he "hoped 
it was not true."  The Ambassador explained that VOA had 
inadvertently mischaracterized what DAS Krol had said in his 
testimony and that he had not identified any failed states. 
The Ambassador also raised U.S. concerns about the protection 
of human rights in several ongoing trials.  She pointed out 
that the trials appeared to be motivated by political 
considerations.  The Ambassador corrected misconceptions on 
the part of Sarbayev about U.S. policy toward Afghanistan. 
Sarbayev reiterated Kyrgyzstan's interest in seeing the U.S. 
successful in Afghanistan and playing a permanent, active 
role in Central Asia.  End Summary. 
 
MFA PROTESTS "FAILED STATE" MONIKER 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) At Foreign Minister Sarbayev's request, the Ambassador 
met with him on December 18 at the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs to discuss the December 16 Voice of America Russian 
language article on U.S. policy in Central Asia that 
indicated that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan could be considered 
"failed states."  Armed with DAS Krol's official testimony, 
Sarbayev pointedly asked the Ambassador if it was official 
U.S. policy to consider Kyrgyzstan a failed state, adding 
that he "hoped it was not true."  After presenting Sarbayev 
with the VOA retraction and the new correct article, the 
Ambassador explained to Sarbayev that VOA had inadvertently 
mischaracterized what DAS Krol had said in his testimony 
before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee and that 
contrary to what the article reported, DAS Krol did not 
identify any failed states. 
 
¶3. (C) Sarbayev said that the Foreign Ministry had watched 
the video of Krol's testimony, including the question and 
answer session, and noted that Krol had said that Kyrgyzstan 
was a poor state.  While not disputing that Kyrgyzstan was 
poor, Sarbayev appeared frustrated that DAS Krol had said so 
publicly.  Sarbayev said that President Bakiyev was traveling 
to Almaty, Kazakhstan this weekend for an informal meeting of 
Presidents from Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, 
Armenia and Turkmenistan, and he was seriously concerned that 
his President would be asked about Kyrgyzstan's designation 
as a "failed state."  He said that he feared that the 
Russians would taunt Bakiyev that "after all you have given 
the Americans recently, they still call you a failed state." 
An annoyed Sarbayev concluded by complaining that the U.S. 
criticizes Kyrgyzstan and yet has not made the October 
payment for the Transit Center. 
 
AMBASSADOR PRESSES HUMAN RIGHTS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Turning the conversation to U.S. concerns about two 
high profile trials, one of election-day protesters at 
Balakchy and the other accusing former Minister of Defense 
Ismail Isakov of (fairly petty) misuse of government 
resources, the Ambassador pressed hard that the trials 
appeared to be motivated by political considerations.  The 
Ambassador said that such trials, especially if they result 
in severe prison sentences, will hinder efforts to broaden 
and strengthen U.S.-Kyrgyz relations and could be raised at 
the Annual Bilateral Consultations.  A calmer Sarbayev said 
that the Government of Kyrgyzstan will be prepared to discuss 
all aspects of the U.S.-Kyrgyzstan relationship at the ABCs, 
including human rights and the referenced trials, asserting 
 
BISHKEK 00001300  002 OF 003 
 
 
that General Isakov had abused his power while at the 
Ministry of Defense. 
 
¶5. (C) Sarbayev briefed the Ambassador on the upcoming 
meeting of Presidents in Kazakhstan and on a planned meeting 
in the new year between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and 
Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek.  Sarbayev said that the Government of 
Kyrgyzstan wanted to discuss many issues with its neighbors, 
including migrant workers, the border, and economic 
cooperation.  The main goal of the meetings, according to 
Sarbayev, was to discuss regional stability.  Sarbayev noted 
that the first U.S. Annual Bilateral Consultations in the 
region will be with Uzbekistan; where the human rights 
discussion will likely be difficult. 
 
AFGHANISTAN WORRIES 
------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Sarbayev described the concerns about U.S. Afghan 
policy voiced by diplomatic colleagues at the OSCE Foreign 
Minister meeting in Athens and expressed his own concern 
about the U.S. commitment to success in Afghanistan. 
Sarbayev said that he had found his colleagues at the OSCE 
Ministerial Council meeting to be quite concerned about the 
implications of the December 1 speech by President Obama.  In 
particular, the French and Bulgarian Foreign Ministers had 
evinced no understanding of or confidence in U.S. policy in 
their meetings with him.  He reported that French FM Bernard 
Kouchner had said, "I don't know what the U.S. is trying to 
do in Afghanistan.  How can we implement a policy we don't 
understand?"  Sarbayev went on to note that the Russians also 
appear to be concerned that the U.S. is not committed to 
victory in Afghanistan. 
 
¶7. (C) From the perspective of Kyrgyzstan, Sarbayev said it 
is very concerning that the U.S. has set a deadline for 
exiting Afghanistan.  The threat of the Taliban had driven 
Central Asia into the arms of the Russians and Chinese in 
2001 with the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization.  If the U.S. were to withdraw from the region 
the Central Asians would have no choice, once again. 
 
¶8. (C) The Ambassador pointed out to Sarbayev that the U.S. 
has not set a deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan. 
Rather, President Obama had given a date on which we would 
begin to move troops home, conditioning the speed at which 
troops could leave to conditions on the ground.  She 
highlighted the priority of resolving the Afghan situation 
for the USG and the Obama Administration, specifically.  The 
increase in troop levels would help create the conditions for 
their return home.  It became clear in the ensuing discussion 
that Sarbayev had misunderstood the speech, believing that it 
set a deadline for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan.  The 
Ambassador clarified the policy for him. 
 
¶9.  (C) Sarbayev reiterated Kyrgyzstan's interest in seeing 
the U.S. successful in Afghanistan and in continuing to build 
a strong bilateral relationship with the U.S.  Kyrgyzstan 
would like to see the U.S. play a permanent and active role 
in Central Asia.  He said it was important that Kyrgyz 
citizens see concrete benefits from Kyrgyz-U.S. cooperation. 
In that regard, he expressed concern about the contracting of 
transportation for the Northern Defense Network (NDN) route 
passing through Kyrgyzstan.  He said that he had received 
reports that the first two shipments had been received in 
Kabul and that they had been transported by Tajik companies. 
He hoped, he said, that Kyrgyz companies would also receive 
sub-contracts for transportation of goods on the NDN so that 
the benefits of our cooperation would be made clearer to the 
population. 
 
PRESS COVERAGE AND INTERNET DISCUSSION 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 
BISHKEK 00001300  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶10. (C) The VOA article has been picked up by some local 
media which have mostly re-printed the VOA article and the 
most popular online chat forum in Kyrgyzstan has had a 
vibrant discussion about Kyrgyzstan as a "failed state." 
 
¶11. (C) Comment: The retraction by VOA will help this issue 
to dissipate.  This episode serves to highlight the 
hypersensitivity of the Kyrgyz Government to public 
criticism, even where that criticism is only implied and 
fully justified.  However, if carefully managed, that 
hypersensitivity is something we may be able to use to our 
own benefit in some cases. 
GFOELLER