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Ambassador Pamela Spratlen Radio Azattyk Ambassador Pamela Spratlen Radio Azattyk

February 9, 2012
February 9, 2012
Radio Azattyk:  Last week marked the 20th Anniversary of relations between the US and Kyrgyzstan.  What can you say about the state of relations between our two countries? What did Kyrgyzstan get from this relationship?
Ambassador Spratlen:  First of all I would like to thank Radio Azattyk for inviting me for this interview today.  
The United States and the Kyrgyz Republic have now had a bilateral relationship for 20 years.  The United States established its bilateral relationship with the Kyrgyz Republic on December 25, 1991 and we opened our embassy on February 1, 1992.
The United States and the Kyrgyz Republic have a robust and dynamic partnership.  Our excellent bilateral relationship covers the full range of issues.  Our goal now is to strengthen this relationship for the future.
On February 1st we broke ground on a new embassy and we were grateful for the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries, and we believe that the building of a new embassy is a very important symbol of our belief in the bright future of the United States and Kyrgyz bilateral relations.
In answer to your specific question, what did the Kyrgyz Republic get from this relationship, I would say that there are really three categories of things.  
The first is that Kyrgyzstan is a very young nation, got a global leader as a friend to help in its security and its development and a different way of looking at how a world government or how a country’s government can work.
The second thing is concrete assistance.  The United States has given approximately $1 billion in concrete assistance in various fields over the 20 years of our bilateral relationship.  These projects supported education, health care, economic growth, improved governance, agriculture and many many other areas. 
I would say the third area that has been important in this relationship with the Kyrgyz people is help in developing a new kind of civil society and governance structure in which the people are very much important in the development of the country.  
And I think one of the most exciting things as I conclude my answer to your first question is that we’ve been able to provide assistance for many students to travel to the United States to see first-hand for themselves how the United States works, either through exchange programs or by studying and getting their university education in the United States.
Radio Azattyk:  Thank you.
The U.S. Transit Center at Manas International Airport is under a spotlight again.  Can you tell about the essence of the discussion you recently had with President Atambaev?  Did the Kyrgyz leader suggested to transform the TCM into a civic hub or demand that the TCM leave after the agreement expires in 2014?
Ambassador Spratlen:  The first thing I want to say is that yes, I have met recently with the new President and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to speak with him, but I don’t want to speak of the specifics of that meeting.  It really is for him to speak for himself.  But what I would like to say first of all is that the whole basis for the Transit Center at Manas International Airport really has to do with the need for all of those countries around Afghanistan to help the international community and help Afghanistan become a more stable and secure country.  That’s the whole reason the center is here in the first place, to fight terrorism which was the original basis for allowing the transit center on Kyrgyz soil.
I think the terrorist act in New York in 2001 was a terrible wakeup call for the whole world and the Kyrgyz Republic was one of the first nations to stand up and assist the United States and others to fight terrorism.  
Unfortunately, while a great deal of progress has been made, terrorism remains a serious threat to the world and to the Central Asia region and to the Kyrgyz Republic.  
There is an agreement between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic and that agreement will last through the middle of 2014.  This is a point that many officials, including the President, have made several times.
The President has expressed publicly his own ideas about what should happen with the future of the transit center, and the only thing I would like to say is that the United States has stated its willingness to sit down and talk with the government of the Kyrgyz Republic about that vision and about the future, recognizing that the situation in Afghanistan remains a fundamental point that we all need to keep in mind as we look toward the future beyond 2014.
Radio Azattyk: President Atambaev says that in the event the U.S. and Iran will find themselves in a conflict, then Iran might launch a missile attack on the base at Manas.  Local military experts are saying that there is such a risk.  Can the U.S. military intelligence confirm that there is such a possibility?
Ambassador Spratlen:  Well first of all just in responding to my last question I would just like to thank once again all of the officials of the Kyrgyz Republic who have made it possible to have the transit center on Kyrgyz territory.  It’s an extremely important facility for regional security.  I just want to underscore that.
With respect to the issue of Iran, obviously this is an issue that has come into heightened focus in the world in general.  The government of Iran has continued, unfortunately, to defy the resolutions of the United Nations with respect to helping to ensure that there is no nuclear threat from Iran.
President Obama is working very very hard with international partners to strengthen global security and to find a diplomatic solution in the Middle East including with Iran.  With respect to your specific question, of course I can’t discuss intelligence matters on the radio, but I would say that we’re unaware of any specific information leading to the kind of threat that you asked about in you question.
We continue to believe that the biggest threat, external threat in terms of terrorism for the Kyrgyz Republic comes from Afghanistan.
Radio Azattyk:  It is not a secret that the U.S.-Pakistan relations have worsened lately. The U.S. suspended some of its financial assistance to Pakistan, accusing it of hiding Osama Bin Laden and assisting Taliban.  In this regard, there is information that the U.S. is shifting most of its goods and cargos onto the Northern Distribution Network.  Thus, will it increase the amount of cargo transferred through the Transit Center?  And, in general, is there a possibility that Manas will assume activities of the bases that were on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border?
Ambassador Spratlen:  First I’d like to begin with the premise of your question concerning U.S.-Pakistani relations.  Of course what I would like to say is that Pakistan is a very important partner of the United States, but there are ups and downs in any relationship and of late there has been more pressure to find alternatives to Pakistan because of some of the decisions that government has made concerning goods coming across its border.  As we have tried to diversify our roots the Kyrgyz Republic has become an even more important and very reliable partner in support of coalition efforts.  So the NDN is important, the Northern Distribution Network, which is a road and rail network of commercial suppliers.  It brings jobs to the region and we hope will bring significant economic impact.
I’d just like to conclude by saying that both with the Northern Distribution Network and with the transit center, the Kyrgyz government and Kyrgyz business continues to contribute to our enduring desire to create a peaceful and prosperous environment in Central Asia and the broader region.
Radio Azattyk:  There have been some opinions voiced that the United States airplanes are jettisoning their fuel over the Kyrgyz territory causing environmental damage.  In this regard, on what altitude and where American planes jettison fuel and who oversees this process?
Ambassador Spratlen:  There are a lot of questions embedded in that so let me just start by saying that the protection of the environment is a very important part of our partnership with the government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Transit Center Agreement.
The instances of fuel jettisoning are extremely rare.  When this has happened, which is very very rare, it was several years ago and at extremely high altitudes.
As some of Kyrgyzstan’s own expert voices have said, there is no scientific evidence of any harm to the environment from the jettisoning of the fuel, which as I said, is extremely rare.
Radio Azattyk:  In people’s mind there is this understanding of the United States as a military base only, but in order to fight that – as we know the United States is very successful in business – why don’t you bring one of your companies to Kyrgyzstan and in practice, show what American quality really is?  And of course I understand that Kyrgyzstan is a small market but still why you don’t bring a couple of your businesses from United States to Kyrgyzstan to economically cooperate, not only militarily?
Ambassador Spratlen:  First of all I want to thank you for the compliment about American business.  I think we are very proud of American entrepreneurship and American technological innovation.  
I think one of the most important things about American business is that it’s competitive because it knows how to find opportunity and markets on its own.  So I think the businesses will come when they feel that the opportunity will provide them an opportunity to hire expert staff, to find good financing, and to operate here in an investment-friendly environment.
We often talk to the government about the need for reforms.  Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan finds itself on certain lists about corruption or about the ease of doing business that do not put the country in the most favorable light.  But we hope that that will change.
In my meetings with both the President and the Prime Minister we have discussed their efforts to try to bring reform in areas that would make Kyrgyzstan more business friendly, and of course I fully hold that those efforts will be successful.
Radio Azattyk:  There have been talks that the transit center soon will be buying all the goods and products from Kyrgyzstan, not from outside.  What Kyrgyzstan possibly might gain from this?
Ambassador Spratlen:  I think this is related to your last question about business.  I do think that the transit center recently one of the representatives from the Defense Department came and said that the transit center would be procuring more of its goods locally, and we do think this is good for business.
There are three words that I think are important.  The first is American standards, that the local companies will have the opportunity to learn how to operate by American standards.
The second issue is volume.  I think when you have an operation like the transit center, the volume of being able to produce steadily at a very very high level is extremely important, and I think the companies will have the opportunity to learn to work with American partners on volume.
I think the third word is jobs.  Because as the local companies produce more goods which will give our service people an opportunity to enjoy very tasty Kyrgyz fruits and vegetables, that will also create more jobs here and I think that’s important.
Radio Azattyk:  According to some information Kyrgyzstan is asking to help to finance the extension of the runway at the Manas International Airport.  Are there any ongoing talks regarding this?
Ambassador Spratlen:  I would say the agreement under which we are currently operating asked the United States to undertake some improvements at the airport which we are in the process of doing or have completed.  But there is presently no financing for any additional runways, but of course we have yet to have discussions about the future of the transit center.
Radio Azattyk:  There is no doubt that the United States had to put a lot of effort and financial assistance into the building of a free society and spreading the freedom of speech and media in Kyrgyzstan.  Can you say that currently independent media and political pluralism and human rights are firmly established in Kyrgyzstan?  Will assistance continue to strengthen the above-mentioned achievements?
Ambassador Spratlen:  The first thing I would like to say is that the achievements in democracy and political pluralism and reform belong to the people of the Kyrgyz Republic.  The Kyrgyz Republic is a country where the public is very interested and wants to learn more to their leaders, and thanks to a comparatively free media here, freer than anyplace else in the region, they’re able to listen to the radio, to tune into the internet, to read the newspaper, and to watch television much more freely than their neighbors.
The politics here is not all located in one family or in one political party.  There are multiple political parties here in the Kyrgyz Republic.  The parliament has its role.  The President is extremely important.  The government is important.  Power is divided as it should be in a democracy in the Kyrgyz Republic.
I think one of the proudest democratic achievements in the Kyrgyz Republic is the development of civil society -- the groups that can challenge the government, help give constructive suggestions to the government, help organize the voice of the people.  I think the development of civil society is an extremely important development in the political reform of the Kyrgyz Republic.
There’s much more that can be done but I’m very excited and extremely encouraged and very hopeful that these reforms have been deeply embedded in Kyrgyzstan and that the democracy will only further develop here in the Kyrgyz Republic.
The reason I think it’s important for the political reform process and democracy to continue to develop is that we believe that in the long run a country is more stable when it is more democratic.  We think that is why democratic development is important in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Radio Azattyk:  One more question I have for you regarding the Keldibekov, ex-Speaker.  Some Russian media are reporting that Keldibekov is being invited to the United States and to the National Prayer Breakfast because they want to establish some kind of friendship through Keldibekov with Kyrgyzstan, as opposed to Atambaev, who is pro-Russian.
Ambassador Spratlen:  I don’t want to comment on the media from other countries talking about prayer breakfasts, but what I would say, I can confirm that the ex-Speaker did receive an invitation to the annual National Prayer Breakfast.  The invitation came from the U.S. Congress.  And it’s our belief that the invitation was issued with the belief that Mr. Keldibekov was the Speaker.  We think it’s unreasonable to speculate about anything other than it being an invitation.  There is simply no truth to any political rumors that may be swirling about the invitation.
Radio Azattyk:  Ambassador, thank you for your interview.  We would like also to hand over to you thanks from thousands and thousands of listeners.
Ambassador Spratlen:  Once again I thank you.  Radio Azattyk is a leader and an innovator in the best tradition of journalism and we wish you many many years of great success.  Thank you very much.
Radio Azattyk:  Thank you very much.
# # # #

Radio Azattyk:  Last week marked the 20th Anniversary of relations between the US and Kyrgyzstan.  What can you say about the state of relations between our two countries? What did Kyrgyzstan get from this relationship?

Ambassador Spratlen:  First of all I would like to thank Radio Azattyk for inviting me for this interview today.  

The United States and the Kyrgyz Republic have now had a bilateral relationship for 20 years.  The United States established its bilateral relationship with the Kyrgyz Republic on December 25, 1991 and we opened our embassy on February 1, 1992.

The United States and the Kyrgyz Republic have a robust and dynamic partnership.  Our excellent bilateral relationship covers the full range of issues.  Our goal now is to strengthen this relationship for the future.
On February 1st we broke ground on a new embassy and we were grateful for the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries, and we believe that the building of a new embassy is a very important symbol of our belief in the bright future of the United States and Kyrgyz bilateral relations.

In answer to your specific question, what did the Kyrgyz Republic get from this relationship, I would say that there are really three categories of things.  

The first is that Kyrgyzstan is a very young nation, got a global leader as a friend to help in its security and its development and a different way of looking at how a world government or how a country’s government can work.

The second thing is concrete assistance.  The United States has given approximately $1 billion in concrete assistance in various fields over the 20 years of our bilateral relationship.  These projects supported education, health care, economic growth, improved governance, agriculture and many many other areas. 

I would say the third area that has been important in this relationship with the Kyrgyz people is help in developing a new kind of civil society and governance structure in which the people are very much important in the development of the country.  

And I think one of the most exciting things as I conclude my answer to your first question is that we’ve been able to provide assistance for many students to travel to the United States to see first-hand for themselves how the United States works, either through exchange programs or by studying and getting their university education in the United States.

Radio Azattyk:  Thank you.

The U.S. Transit Center at Manas International Airport is under a spotlight again.  Can you tell about the essence of the discussion you recently had with President Atambaev?  Did the Kyrgyz leader suggested to transform the TCM into a civic hub or demand that the TCM leave after the agreement expires in 2014?

Ambassador Spratlen:  The first thing I want to say is that yes, I have met recently with the new President and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to speak with him, but I don’t want to speak of the specifics of that meeting.  It really is for him to speak for himself.  But what I would like to say first of all is that the whole basis for the Transit Center at Manas International Airport really has to do with the need for all of those countries around Afghanistan to help the international community and help Afghanistan become a more stable and secure country.  That’s the whole reason the center is here in the first place, to fight terrorism which was the original basis for allowing the transit center on Kyrgyz soil.
I think the terrorist act in New York in 2001 was a terrible wakeup call for the whole world and the Kyrgyz Republic was one of the first nations to stand up and assist the United States and others to fight terrorism.  
Unfortunately, while a great deal of progress has been made, terrorism remains a serious threat to the world and to the Central Asia region and to the Kyrgyz Republic.  

There is an agreement between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic and that agreement will last through the middle of 2014.  This is a point that many officials, including the President, have made several times.

The President has expressed publicly his own ideas about what should happen with the future of the transit center, and the only thing I would like to say is that the United States has stated its willingness to sit down and talk with the government of the Kyrgyz Republic about that vision and about the future, recognizing that the situation in Afghanistan remains a fundamental point that we all need to keep in mind as we look toward the future beyond 2014.

Radio Azattyk: President Atambaev says that in the event the U.S. and Iran will find themselves in a conflict, then Iran might launch a missile attack on the base at Manas.  Local military experts are saying that there is such a risk.  Can the U.S. military intelligence confirm that there is such a possibility?

Ambassador Spratlen:  Well first of all just in responding to my last question I would just like to thank once again all of the officials of the Kyrgyz Republic who have made it possible to have the transit center on Kyrgyz territory.  It’s an extremely important facility for regional security. I just want to underscore that.

With respect to the issue of Iran, obviously this is an issue that has come into heightened focus in the world in general.  The government of Iran has continued, unfortunately, to defy the resolutions of the United Nations with respect to helping to ensure that there is no nuclear threat from Iran.

President Obama is working very very hard with international partners to strengthen global security and to find a diplomatic solution in the Middle East including with Iran.  With respect to your specific question, of course I can’t discuss intelligence matters on the radio, but I would say that we’re unaware of any specific information leading to the kind of threat that you asked about in you question.

We continue to believe that the biggest threat, external threat in terms of terrorism for the Kyrgyz Republic comes from Afghanistan.

Radio Azattyk:  It is not a secret that the U.S.-Pakistan relations have worsened lately. The U.S. suspended some of its financial assistance to Pakistan, accusing it of hiding Osama Bin Laden and assisting Taliban.  In this regard, there is information that the U.S. is shifting most of its goods and cargos onto the Northern Distribution Network.  Thus, will it increase the amount of cargo transferred through the Transit Center?  And, in general, is there a possibility that Manas will assume activities of the bases that were on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border?

Ambassador Spratlen:  First I’d like to begin with the premise of your question concerning U.S.-Pakistani relations.  Of course what I would like to say is that Pakistan is a very important partner of the United States, but there are ups and downs in any relationship and of late there has been more pressure to find alternatives to Pakistan because of some of the decisions that government has made concerning goods coming across its border.  As we have tried to diversify our roots the Kyrgyz Republic has become an even more important and very reliable partner in support of coalition efforts.  So the NDN is important, the Northern Distribution Network, which is a road and rail network of commercial suppliers.  It brings jobs to the region and we hope will bring significant economic impact.

I’d just like to conclude by saying that both with the Northern Distribution Network and with the transit center, the Kyrgyz government and Kyrgyz business continues to contribute to our enduring desire to create a peaceful and prosperous environment in Central Asia and the broader region.

Radio Azattyk:  There have been some opinions voiced that the United States airplanes are jettisoning their fuel over the Kyrgyz territory causing environmental damage.  In this regard, on what altitude and where American planes jettison fuel and who oversees this process?

Ambassador Spratlen:  There are a lot of questions embedded in that so let me just start by saying that the protection of the environment is a very important part of our partnership with the government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Transit Center Agreement.

The instances of fuel jettisoning are extremely rare.  When this has happened, which is very very rare, it was several years ago and at extremely high altitudes.

As some of Kyrgyzstan’s own expert voices have said, there is no scientific evidence of any harm to the environment from the jettisoning of the fuel, which as I said, is extremely rare.

Radio Azattyk:  In people’s mind there is this understanding of the United States as a military base only, but in order to fight that – as we know the United States is very successful in business – why don’t you bring one of your companies to Kyrgyzstan and in practice, show what American quality really is?  And of course I understand that Kyrgyzstan is a small market but still why you don’t bring a couple of your businesses from United States to Kyrgyzstan to economically cooperate, not only militarily?

Ambassador Spratlen:  First of all I want to thank you for the compliment about American business.  I think we are very proud of American entrepreneurship and American technological innovation.  
I think one of the most important things about American business is that it’s competitive because it knows how to find opportunity and markets on its own.  So I think the businesses will come when they feel that the opportunity will provide them an opportunity to hire expert staff, to find good financing, and to operate here in an investment-friendly environment.

We often talk to the government about the need for reforms. Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan finds itself on certain lists about corruption or about the ease of doing business that do not put the country in the most favorable light.  But we hope that that will change.

In my meetings with both the President and the Prime Minister we have discussed their efforts to try to bring reform in areas that would make Kyrgyzstan more business friendly, and of course I fully hold that those efforts will be successful.

Radio Azattyk:  There have been talks that the transit center soon will be buying all the goods and products from Kyrgyzstan, not from outside. What Kyrgyzstan possibly might gain from this?

Ambassador Spratlen:  I think this is related to your last question about business.  I do think that the transit center recently one of the representatives from the Defense Department came and said that the transit center would be procuring more of its goods locally, and we do think this is good for business.

There are three words that I think are important.  The first is American standards, that the local companies will have the opportunity to learn how to operate by American standards.

The second issue is volume.  I think when you have an operation like the transit center, the volume of being able to produce steadily at a very very high level is extremely important, and I think the companies will have the opportunity to learn to work with American partners on volume.

I think the third word is jobs.  Because as the local companies produce more goods which will give our service people an opportunity to enjoy very tasty Kyrgyz fruits and vegetables, that will also create more jobs here and I think that’s important.

Radio Azattyk:  According to some information Kyrgyzstan is asking to help to finance the extension of the runway at the Manas International Airport.  Are there any ongoing talks regarding this?

Ambassador Spratlen:  I would say the agreement under which we are currently operating asked the United States to undertake some improvements at the airport which we are in the process of doing or have completed.  But there is presently no financing for any additional runways, but of course we have yet to have discussions about the future of the transit center.

Radio Azattyk:  There is no doubt that the United States had to put a lot of effort and financial assistance into the building of a free society and spreading the freedom of speech and media in Kyrgyzstan.  Can you say that currently independent media and political pluralism and human rights are firmly established in Kyrgyzstan?  Will assistance continue to strengthen the above-mentioned achievements?

Ambassador Spratlen:  The first thing I would like to say is that the achievements in democracy and political pluralism and reform belong to the people of the Kyrgyz Republic.  The Kyrgyz Republic is a country where the public is very interested and wants to learn more to their leaders, and thanks to a comparatively free media here, freer than anyplace else in the region, they’re able to listen to the radio, to tune into the internet, to read the newspaper, and to watch television much more freely than their neighbors.

The politics here is not all located in one family or in one political party. There are multiple political parties here in the Kyrgyz Republic.  The parliament has its role.  The President is extremely important.  The government is important.  Power is divided as it should be in a democracy in the Kyrgyz Republic.

I think one of the proudest democratic achievements in the Kyrgyz Republic is the development of civil society -- the groups that can challenge the government, help give constructive suggestions to the government, help organize the voice of the people.  I think the development of civil society is an extremely important development in the political reform of the Kyrgyz Republic.

There’s much more that can be done but I’m very excited and extremely encouraged and very hopeful that these reforms have been deeply embedded in Kyrgyzstan and that the democracy will only further develop here in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The reason I think it’s important for the political reform process and democracy to continue to develop is that we believe that in the long run a country is more stable when it is more democratic.  We think that is why democratic development is important in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Radio Azattyk:  One more question I have for you regarding the Keldibekov, ex-Speaker.  Some Russian media are reporting that Keldibekov is being invited to the United States and to the National Prayer Breakfast because they want to establish some kind of friendship through Keldibekov with Kyrgyzstan, as opposed to Atambaev, who is pro-Russian.

Ambassador Spratlen:  I don’t want to comment on the media from other countries talking about prayer breakfasts, but what I would say, I can confirm that the ex-Speaker did receive an invitation to the annual National Prayer Breakfast.  The invitation came from the U.S. Congress.  And it’s our belief that the invitation was issued with the belief that Mr. Keldibekov was the Speaker.  We think it’s unreasonable to speculate about anything other than it being an invitation.  There is simply no truth to any political rumors that may be swirling about the invitation.

Radio Azattyk:  Ambassador, thank you for your interview.  We would like also to hand over to you thanks from thousands and thousands of listeners.

Ambassador Spratlen:  Once again I thank you.  Radio Azattyk is a leader and an innovator in the best tradition of journalism and we wish you many many years of great success.  Thank you very much.

Radio Azattyk:  Thank you very much.