US engagement in Central Asia, in particular with Kyrgyzstan, is improving as a result of the Obama administration's “reset” policy to improve relations with Russia, a top US diplomat asserts.
“We’ve been very pleased with the recent progress and cooperation that we’ve had with the government of Russia, particularly on Kyrgyzstan, which has been a very high priority for both of our governments,” said Robert Blake, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, at a press briefing in New York on September 22. “We see that the cooperation that we’ve had at all levels of our government, from our two presidents to people at my level, to our embassies, has really been quite extraordinary.”
Blake added that the United States is looking for additional ways in which Washington and Moscow can cooperate in Central Asia. “Our ability to engage these Central Asian countries has partly been facilitated by the improved cooperation with Russia since President [Barack] Obama and Secretary [Hillary] Clinton reset US relations with Russia last year,” he said. “And we want to not only build on that progress with respect to our relations in Kyrgyzstan, but also to look at other ways that the United States and Russia can cooperate in the region.” [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].
Blake did not provide specifics on US-Russian cooperation in Central Asia. In an interview published earlier this month in the Russian daily Kommersant, he mentioned only that the two sides “coordinate” their activities. “We don’t have so many joint projects in Kyrgyzstan, but I would just say that we’ve been coordinating very closely at all levels. As you know, President [Dmitry] Medvedev and President Obama issued a joint statement about Kyrgyzstan, but we’ve also had very close coordination in Moscow, at our embassies in Bishkek, also in Washington,” he said.
Also on September 22, Medvedev issued a decree calling off the proposed sale of S-300 air defense systems to Iran, a move that was applauded in Washington. "The White House strongly welcomes the Executive Order signed by Russian President Medvedev which bans the transfer of advanced weaponry to Iran, including the S-300. We believe President Medvedev has demonstrated leadership on holding Iran accountable to its international obligations from start to finish,” said Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
Blake, during his news conference, highlighted the importance of the October 10 parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. “We see these as a very significant opportunity to establish the very first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia,” he said. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].
These US government aspirations clash with views expressed by Russian leaders. Medvedev, for example, has very publicly questioned the viability of a parliamentary system under Central Asia’s existing conditions. Russia does not have an interest in successful elections in Kyrgyzstan, asserted Erica Marat, a Washington-based Central Asia analyst. “If the October 10 elections prove to be peaceful and fair, Kyrgyzstan will set a higher standard for elections in neighboring countries – [including] Russia,” she said.
Blake noted that other US aims in Kyrgyzstan include improving conditions for those displaced by the ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, along with the deployment of an OSCE police advisory mission. But Moscow and Washington have not shown any concrete cooperation on those or other important issues, including an international investigation of the June violence or developing a reconciliation strategy between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, Marat said. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].
The upbeat American rhetoric concerning Russia could have several motivations – but they don't have to do with current cooperation in Kyrgyzstan, said Eric McGlinchey, a Central Asia expert at George Mason University in Washington, DC The United States has several interests in Kyrgyzstan, including successful elections and maintaining access to the Manas transit center. Improving relations on other issues (including arms sales to Iran) could convince Russia that it is worthwhile to cooperate in Kyrgyzstan, as well. “The US government will have an easier go of things if it has Russia's agreement” on those issues, he said. “I sense that the US government has recognized, since June, that if anyone has capacity in Central Asia, particularly in Kyrgyzstan, it's the Russians.”
Blake sought to downplay the importance of the status of the Manas transit center. Obama is scheduled to meet with Kyrgyzstan President Roza Otunbayeva on September 24, but Manas will not be high on the agenda, Blake contended. “I don’t expect Manas to be a significant part of the conversation for the president,” he said. “The transit center remains open and the current government is supportive. We will have to see after the elections. There will be a new government in place. And when and if they would like to discuss this further, we’re certainly open to those – to that conversation.” [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].
Washington also has criticized the Kyrgyz provisional government’s handing of the case of Azimjan Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek human rights activist in Kyrgyzstan who earlier in September was sentenced to life in prison for a variety of charges, including murder of a police officer. Blake suggested that Askarov may have been targeted because of his ethnicity. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].
Joshua Kucera is a Washington, DC,-based freelance writer who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.
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