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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (GORKOWSKI) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KG
SUBJECT: HEAD OF KYRGYZ SECRETARIAT CLAIMS RFE/RL FOSTERS 
INTOLERANCE 
 
REF: A. 09 BISHK...

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (GORKOWSKI) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KG
SUBJECT: HEAD OF KYRGYZ SECRETARIAT CLAIMS RFE/RL FOSTERS 
INTOLERANCE 
 
REF: A. 09 BISHKEK 1296 
     ¶B. 09 BISHKEK 1274 
     ¶C. 09 BISHKEK 1201 
 
BISHKEK 00000096  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  In a friendly lunch at the Ambassador's 
residence, Oksana Malevanaya, the Head of the Presidential 
Secretariat, reiterated her opposition to RFE/Radio Azzatyk, 
claiming that their programs are anti-government, 
anti-Christian, and promote intolerance to the edge of 
anti-Semitism.  She said that the Uzbeks told her that 
Secretary Clinton plans to visit in April, and pleaded that 
if that is true, the Secretary "must" visit Kyrgyzstan as 
well.  She promised that the Drug Control Agency would soon 
begin operations in its new institutional home under the 
Ministry of the Interior, and confirmed rumors that the 
Ministry of Defense would be abolished, replaced by a Council 
structure with the current Minister of Defense at its head. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  The Ambassador hosted Oksana Malevanaya, the Head of 
the Presidential Secretariat, for a lunch at her residence on 
February 3.  The discussion was friendly, and covered several 
topics, including pressing for a visit by Secretary Clinton, 
the future of the Drug Control Agency, and the abolishment of 
the Ministry of Defense.  The tenor of the discussion 
changed, however, when Malevanaya introduced the topic of 
Medet Sadyrkulov, and described her perspective on his 
political activities and the nature of his death (septel). 
This is Part I of two cables describing the Ambassador's 
discussion with Malevanaya. 
 
A Visit From the Secretary? 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C)  Malevanaya said that the Uzbeks told the Kyrgyz that 
the Secretary would be visiting them in April.  Displaying 
some nervousness, Malevanaya insisted that if the Secretary 
visits Uzbekistan, she must visit Kyrgyzstan as well. 
Malevanaya added that perhaps the Women's Rights Conference 
(ref A), planned for Bishkek in May, could be changed to 
coincide with the Secretary's visit, or perhaps the 
Secretary's visit could be changed to May.  Regardless, 
Malevanaya said that she strongly supported the Secretary's 
attendance at the conference, and welcomed Foreign Minister 
Sarbayev,s intention to send the Secretary a letter of 
invitation. 
 
¶4.  (C)  The Ambassador raised the issue of pressure on the 
American University in Central Asia (AUCA) to vacate their 
current building.  She told Malevanaya that AUCA is willing 
to move, but they need high-level support to ensure that they 
have a suitable new campus for relocation.  Malevanaya 
replied that she is familiar with the sources of the pressure 
on AUCA, and that hosting the Women's Conference might 
provide a solution.  If they were to host a high-level 
conference that the Secretary attended, they would be 
relatively invulnerable to pressure:  "If Hillary comes, AUCA 
is golden." 
 
Government Reorganization 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C)  Following up on their last meeting, the Ambassador 
asked about the status of the Drug Control Agency, noting 
that we have contributed $22 million towards its development, 
and that it is currently inactive.  Malevanaya agreed that 
things were proceeding too slowly, but noted that only the 
day before, the President had signed a law reestablishing the 
Drug Control Agency under the Interior Ministry.  It will 
soon begin operations again, she said. 
 
¶6.  (C)  The Ambassador asked Malevanaya if it was true that 
 
BISHKEK 00000096  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the Ministry of Defense would be abolished.  Malevanaya 
confirmed it, and said that all Defense functions, including 
the Border Guards, would be placed under a Military Council. 
The President of the Council will play a role analogous to 
the Minister of Defense, and in fact the position will be 
filled by the current Minister of Defense, Bakytbek Kaliyev. 
The President of the Council will not be Commander-in-Chief, 
however -- that role will be retained by President Bakiyev. 
Echoing prior cautions (ref B), the Ambassador warned 
Malevanaya that mixing police and military units under a 
single command structure might pose legal constraints on the 
ability of the U.S. to provide security assistance. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Malevanaya also raised Maxim Bakiyev's proposal to 
develop a counter-terrorism training center in the South, in 
Batken Province (ref C).  She said that it was very 
important, and they want to proceed with it as soon as 
possible. 
 
Malevanaya Says RFE Anti-Government, Promotes Intolerance 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶8.  (C)  On the issue of RFE/Radio Azzatyk, Malevanaya said 
that she had reviewed the issue, as the Ambassador had 
requested in their last meeting, and her conclusion that RFE 
had an anti-government bias was if anything strengthened. 
Malevanaya said that she recently had met with an RFE 
official from Prague , and had shown her some egregious 
examples of RFE's anti-government bias.  According to 
Malevanaya, the RFE official agreed that the pieces did not 
represent objective journalism. 
¶9.  (C)  Malevanaya said that her greater concern with RFE is 
that it is contributing to undermining Kyrgyz traditions of 
religious and cultural tolerance.  She cited an RFE program 
in which a participant said that it is outrageous that Maxim 
Bakiyev is his father's heir, because he is the wrong color 
(i.e., has a Russian Jewish mother, and therefore is not 
sufficiently Kyrgyz), and he wears a cross.  She said that 
RFE appears to her to be anti-Christian, if not actually 
anti-Semitic, and it feeds into the Kyrgyz nationalist 
chauvinism that already exists in the opposition press:.  In 
this context, she cited an opposition newspaper article that 
claimed President Bakiyev was surrounded by (a derogatory 
Russian term for Jews), and said that as a Russian Jew 
raising children in Kyrgyzstan, she is acutely sensitive to 
the prospect of anti-Semitism. 
 
¶10.  (C)  Continuing on the theme of anti-Russian sentiments, 
Malevanaya raised the issue of a photography display by Amcit 
Sergei Melnikoff, who, according to Malevanaya, said in an 
interview with a Chechen media outlet that "the only good 
Russian is a dead Russian."  She asked, "Why are there such 
outrageous Americans running around Kyrgyzstan?"  The 
Ambassador said forcefully that sentiments of that kind 
against any group of people, including Russians, are 
reprehensible, and that the Embassy had nothing to do with 
his exhibit.  Mollified, Malevanaya said that the pro-Russian 
camp in the government is trying to use Melnikoff as a lever 
to separate Kyrgyzstan and the United States.  The Russians 
are offended that the Kyrgyz would give his work a venue, and 
"we're already out on a limb with them as it is," 
(implication: because of hosting the Transit Center at 
Manas.)  Malevanaya said that she has spoken several times 
with the Russian Charge in an attempt to smooth things over. 
(Note:  The Embassy had earlier declined a request to sponsor 
Melnikoff's display.  Later that day, the Government canceled 
the exhibit, and fired the Director of the Culture Agency in 
charge of it.  End note.) 
GFOELLER