U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kyrgyzstan Lesslie Viguerie is a career diplomat. He arrived in Bishkek in November 2022 and before the New Year, on December 30, the Ambassador presented his credentials to the President Sadyr Japarov.
Lesslie Viguerie gave his first interview as an Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan to 24.kg news agency.
— This is your first press interview since you have arrived in Kyrgyzstan. Tell us about yourself, please.
— Sure. First, salamat syzdarby! It is really great to be here in Kyrgyzstan. I have been a diplomat for over 30 years. I had actually visited Kyrgyzstan about 10 years ago and really enjoyed my time here. So now I am here again on a more permanent basis. I am really looking forward to getting out and seeing as much of Kyrgyzstan as I can. I have already gone downtown, and have seen the National Museum, the Art Museum, but there is a lot more there, and certainly a lot more out, in the countryside.
— You have been in our country for almost two months. What are your impressions?
— Oh, my impressions are very positive. I think it has been a cold winter. I think that everyone would agree with that, but I have been able to get out, I have met a number of Kyrgyz. I have gone to various projects, the U.S. sponsors and I am really getting a sense of just how dynamic and energetic the Kyrgyz people are. So, I look forward to expanding that as the weather gets better and I will get out more frequently to other parts of Kyrgyzstan.
— How would you characterize the current level of cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and the USA? Can you name a few areas of success?
— Sure. I think that the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic are strong partners. I will give you a couple of examples. Last week I was visiting a factory that has just opened on the outskirts of Bishkek. This factory through machinery, that the U.S. Agency for International Development helped that company purchase, they process fiber from goats, camels and sheep that are purchased from the small farms that are scattered throughout Kyrgyzstan. The important thing is not just the rural employment this creates, but the fact that these products, this yarn in particular, puts Kyrgyzstan on the map internationally, because they use branding that indicates that this is the product of Kyrgyzstan. So, export earnings, employment, and branding are all very important. That is one of many examples I can provide.
— What is the fate of the cooperation agreement with the USA denounced at the initiative of our former president Atambayev in 2015?
— Yes, the famous bilateral cooperation agreement. I think that there are a few moments of misunderstanding about the agreement. What it does. It sets up a framework between the U.S. government and the Kyrgyz government. So that are U.S. agencies, like the U.S. Agency for International Development, can work with Kyrgyz partners in order to undertake projects like the one I have just mentioned. So, I think the details of the agreement involved things like taxation, diplomatic privileges and immunities of U.S. personnel and their families who would be present in the Kyrgyz Republic to implement U.S. assistance programs together with our Kyrgyz partners and in connection with the agreement.
It does not involve investment protection, it does not set up a military base here. It is essentially a bureaucratic framework.
Lesslie Viguerie
So, with that we are hopeful that, when the Kyrgyz Republic finds the time is right to sign the agreement, they will do so, and they will find a very willing partner in the United States.
— Did you discuss this issue with the president Sadyr Japarov?
— Well, with the agreement, it has been a longstanding element of our discussion between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic.
— What is the basis of this agreement? What are the main priorities of this agreement for the USA and, maybe, for the Kyrgyz government?
— The priorities include things like education. So, for instance, U.S. government would like to expand the English education program here, in Kyrgyzstan. That has some real world impact. So, for instance, if more Kyrgyz have English, they would be better able to work in the tourism sector, for instance, with English language capability. English is vehicle to expand outreach to the world. The other area that is particularly interesting is IT sector. There, the United States has already worked with Kyrgyz entrepreneurs to encourage the growth of the IT sector, because the creative economy really will do a lot to improve Kyrgyzstan’s prosperity and connections to the outside world.
— How do you access the situation with freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the light of the blockage of Radio Azattyk and the expulsion of the investigative journalist Bolot Temirov to Russia?
— It is a very important question. Some time ago our U.S. State Department’s spokesman expressed serious concerns about steps like blocking against Azattyk, but really what I would like to do is to make the broader point here. Free speech and free media are some of the distinguishing characteristics of Kyrgyzstan. Things that make Kyrgyzstan unique.
So, we hope to see not only the protection, but the expansion of free speech, free media here in Kyrgyzstan.
Lesslie Viguerie
— In what areas will the Embassy continue to cooperate with the NGO sector? How can the adoption of the draft laws by deputy Nadira Narmatova turn NGOs into foreign agents?
— Yes, I am familiar with draft legislation and I do know that civil society has concerns that this will restrict the ability to operate. NGOs here, in Kyrgyzstan, are vital partners to the United States. So, much of what we can do in areas like health, education depend on our ability to work closely with Kyrgyz NGOs, to carry out things like improving health clinics, expanding English language teaching. Those are activities that benefit the Kyrgyz people.
— Yes, they are not enemies.
— No.
— What marks of the rollback from democratic principles in the Kyrgyz Republic can you name?
— Again, I would point to the spokesperson’s comments a couple of months ago that looked at both free media and civil society, but again what is important is that Kyrgyzstan has, unique for Central Asia, I think, a culture and tradition of protecting its citizens’ rights and that is something that we highly value.
— Thank you. And the last question. What could be the consequences for Kyrgyzstan, as some believe and say, of helping to circumvent Western sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine?
— We, the United States, strongly believe that sanctions are a means to restrict Russia following its aggression against Ukraine. We have encouraged the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to follow the sanctions as closely as possible, because it is a part of an overall effort to address the disruption that the attack by Russia in Ukraine has led to.
