US embassy cable - 05ALMATY538

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ALMATY 000538 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN (JMUDGE), DRL/PHD (PDAVIES) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2015 
TAGS: KZ, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, POLITICAL 
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: EUR DAS KENNEDY'S MEETING WITH FM 
TOKAYEV 
 
REF: A. ALMATY 347 
 
     B. ALMATY 342 
 
Classified By: Ambassador John Ordway, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
1. (C) Summary: Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart 
Tokayev hosted a working lunch on February 4 for EUR DAS 
Kennedy, accompanied by Ambassador Ordway.  Tokayev's 
comments after the recent flurry of law enforcement visits to 
USAID implementing partners tracked with those of other 
senior Kazakhstani officials -- Soros is welcome but 
democracy NGOs remain suspect.  Like other highly placed 
figures, the FM also described the legal action against 
political party Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK) as not 
"final."  DAS Kennedy warned that the uncertain status of 
certification could jeopardize IMET training.  Tokayev 
pledged continued support for the OSCE budget.  Recent 
Caspian delimitation talks and relations with Russia were 
also discussed.  End Summary. 
 
Soros and NGOs 
-------------- 
 
2. (C) FM Tokayev hosted a working lunch for DAS Kennedy 
which was attended by Deputy FM Aleksey Volkov, MFA Americas 
Office Director Jandos Asanov, and Astana PO.  DAS Kennedy 
reaffirmed U.S. interest in maintaining a broad and deep 
relationship with Kazakhstan.  However, the criminal 
investigation of the Soros Foundation and the law enforcement 
raids on democracy NGO offices had recently consumed 
substantial time and attention.  NGOs with U.S. funding, DAS 
Kennedy emphasized, were expressly prohibited from funding 
political parties. 
 
3. (C) FM Tokayev denied that a political motive was at work 
in the Soros case.  As for the NGOs, Astana had questions 
about these organizations and their activities, especially 
NDI.  Ambassador explained that NDI Kazakhstan had not funded 
the travel of local students to Ukraine in December.  NDI's 
interest, he continued, had merely been to provide the 
experience of election observing to the students.  The 
Embassy, he added, had sent a letter to MFA with these and 
other details. 
 
No Orange Revolution Here 
------------------------- 
 
4. (C) Unlike Uzbekistan's President Karimov, the FM 
maintained that Astana is confident that the Orange 
Revolution is unlikely to be replicated in Kazakhstan. 
President Nazarbayev, he said, is committed to political 
reform and bringing the central executive power into balance 
with the other branches and levels of government. 
Nazarbayev's vision included direct elections of local akims 
and greater responsibility at the district level.  Stability, 
however, will remain the core guiding principle of the 
country's reform program. 
 
DCK Case Not "Final" 
-------------------- 
 
5. (C) Echoing recent comments of other senior officials 
(reftels), Tokayev said that the court action to "liquidate" 
opposition party DCK was not "final."  He cautioned, however, 
that the case had a strong legal basis and should not be 
politicized.  The FM argued that Kazakhstan's record on 
respect for democracy was still high and that the country was 
moving in the right direction.  The pace and the path of 
reform, though, would be dictated by Kazakhstan's needs. 
 
6. (C) DAS Kennedy hoped that a less drastic approach than 
liquidation could be found.  Ambassador observed that DCK had 
a following and the party's continued existence provided an 
important outlet for this constituency. 
 
Certification 
------------- 
 
7. (C) DAS Kennedy briefed Tokayev on the state of play over 
this year's certification process and the danger that IMET 
training could be disrupted -- an outcome she wanted to 
avoid.  The FM responded that he needed to consult within the 
government.  He expressed concern that a decision not to 
certify could create the "wrong" political impression. 
 
Support for the OSCE Budget 
--------------------------- 
 
8. (C) DAS Kennedy welcomed Kazakhstan's aspirations to lead 
the OSCE.  At the same time she emphasized the importance of 
demonstrating commitment to all OSCE principles and to its 
 
 
institutions.  The attack on the OSCE's budget had threatened 
to gut the organization.  Tokayev assured her that despite 
Kazakhstan's criticism of the OSCE, there was no question of 
jeopardizing the OSCE's budget.  Astana's attitude toward the 
OSCE was positive overall.  Kazakhstan would match last 
year's $800,000 contribution with a $1 million payment in 
2005. 
 
Caspian De-limitation 
--------------------- 
 
9. (C) Tokayev reported that Kazakhstan's bilateral 
negotiations at the recent Caspian delimitation talks, 
particularly with Russia, were moving in the right direction. 
 Russia, he said, finally seemed to recognize that the 
boundary could not simply be drawn down the middle of the 
Caspian.  Turkmenistan and Iran, however, continued to play 
the spoilers on the multi-lateral negotiations. 
 
Russia 
------ 
 
10. (C) Ambassador asked where policy authority on CIS 
countries rested in Moscow.  The FM remarked that power on 
these issues had shifted to the presidential administration 
to a degree not seen during the Yeltsin years.  Tokayev 
relayed the pessimism of Chairman of the CIS Executive 
Committee Vladimir Rushaylo, who had told the FM that the CIS 
was in great danger of dissolving.  Such an event, Tokayev 
commented, would be seen as a major policy failure on Putin's 
watch. 
 
 
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