Ambassador Lesslie Viguerie’s Remarks at American University of Central Asia’s “Ambassador Talks” Event

(As prepared for delivery on Monday, October 23, 2023)

President O’Connor, distinguished faculty, and students – good afternoon, all!  It is an honor to join you today.  Thank you for having me here to participate in this speakers’ series.

Like I suspect most in this audience, I love history.  I fill my free time with biographies and thick volumes on everything from education in ancient Rome to the U.S. civil rights movement.

And so, as I reflected on the U.S.-Kyrgyz relationship, I started by looking back.

Further back than 1993, when the seeds of AUCA were planted. And earlier than the Kyrgyz Republic’s independence, 32 years ago.

Instead, I recalled my time roughly four decades ago as an undergraduate, studying international relations in Washington, D.C.

I was the same age as many of you are now. Let me set the scene.

It was the early 1980s.  Outgoing President Carter had recalled the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Progress on a major arms control treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union – SALT II – had stalled.  And Ronald Reagan was elected President on a campaign opposed to easing tensions with the USSR.

It’s safe to say very few Americans were traveling to Central Asia at that time.

Now more than 40 years later, I am giving an address at the American University of Central Asia, where each year, hundreds of students from across the country and beyond earn dual degrees with Bard College.  Where U.S. Fulbright scholars collaborate with their Kyrgyzstani counterparts on groundbreaking research.  And where renowned faculty educate the region’s next generation of leaders.

This is not a future that I could have imagined from my college dorm room 40 years ago.

Visiting AUCA for the first time this spring, I was struck by how American the campus felt: students working on group projects; professors facilitating lively discussions; and club leaders handing out flyers at an activity fair.

But AUCA is not only a physical testament to how far we’ve come.  It’s also a positive contributor to the overall relationship between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic.

You share a commitment to doing well – in your studies and research –and doing good, using what you learn to give back to your communities throughout this region.

Our missions are actually quite similar.

Like AUCA, the U.S. Embassy is committed to developing the Kyrgyz Republic’s greatest resource: its human capital.  Over the past 32 years, we’ve invested more than two billion dollars to that end.

Leveraging the talented workforce in the Kyrgyz Republic, our programs support an inclusive, diversified economy through job creation, English and digital skills courses, and basic education.

We see especially exciting potential in the green and creative economies.  For example, in summer 2022, we sent Kyrgyzstani technology leaders on a professional exchange program to the United States.    With their U.S. counterparts, they then organized a Central Asian IT Expo in New York and a regional IT awards forum in Bishkek – both supported by USAID.  These events linked the Kyrgyz Republic’s first-rate tech talent to U.S. and global markets.

As a result, the United States is now the leading export market for Kyrgyz IT services and products.

And to spur innovation here in the country, USAID is funding a makerspace right here at AUCA.  The center will house prototyping equipment open to students, engineers, and entrepreneurs from all over the Kyrgyz Republic.

Collectively, these and other initiatives aim to give job seekers more options instead of traveling to Russia for work.  A diverse job market makes for a healthy economy.  Additionally, a diversified economy means that the Kyrgyzstani people have greater choices about their trade partners and strengthens the sovereignty of the Kyrgyz Republic.

And let me be very clear because there’s a lot of disinformation out there: we are not asking the Kyrgyzstani people and government to choose between partners.  We just want to give them options and I’ve been told very clearly by the government that it too wishes to pursue that route.

One of the best ways to do that is increasing regional and international ties.  That’s why all the Central Asian leaders, including President Japarov, met with President Biden in New York last month to promote connectivity here in the region.

In fact, over the past five years, our development programs have helped agricultural businesses here export nearly $30 million in goods to neighboring Central Asian countries and beyond.

But we’re not stopping there.

As President Biden noted, this summit shows that the United States and Central Asia are taking our cooperation to new heights.

For instance, we’re funding a five-million-dollar program to teach English to 1,000 energy and environment professionals throughout Central Asia.  This type of close collaboration is also critical to making the Kyrgyz Republic more secure and safe.

Through small grants programs and inter-agency trainings, we prepare local authorities and civic organizations to combat trafficking in persons, prevent violent extremism, and stop domestic violence.

Our programs also address seasonal air pollution, climate-related shocks, and public health emergencies, which have dire health and safety consequences for locals.  Embassy programs bring U.S. experts here to build partner capacity in mitigating these crises.

For instance, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have trained 100 Kyrgyzstani field epidemiologists, who now track disease outbreaks in their communities, including the recent surge in measles.  And, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission has invested more than $10 million towards vaccine uptake, risk reduction communications, and pandemic preparedness.

We also work with our counterparts to strengthen the four pillars of the healthiest and most prosperous societies in the world:  democratic institutions, human rights, the rule of law, and robust civil society.

The Kyrgyz Republic has had a proud heritage of active civil society organizations, freedom of expression, and academic freedom –all of them necessary for its future prosperity.  Often in partnership with the Kyrgyz government, the Embassy cooperates with civil society organizations to provide free English classes for professionals, hot lunches for elementary schoolers, and so much more.  And U.S. support to independent media organizations builds capacity for professional journalism that upholds objective standards, discourages disinformation, and fosters the next generation of journalists.

In short, the relationship between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic is robust and multifaceted.  And it’s grounded in our respect for the Kyrgyz Republic’s historical and cultural heritage.

I personally have enjoyed traveling around this beautiful country, and I can’t wait to see more.  My favorite memories include a family trip to Tash Rabat, an Ashlan-Fu lunch in Karakol, and a tour of the Uzgen Mausoleum.  In fact, with money from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Embassy renovated the Mausoleum, as well as the Burana Tower and Shakh-Fazil Mausoleum.

It’s important to me that locals and visitors can safely enjoy these sites together for generations to come.

As you can tell from our social media pages, we also enjoy celebrating Kyrgyz language and culture.  We partner with creative Kyrgyzstanis to develop interesting and entertaining Kyrgyz-language content.  Take for example two popular YouTube series — Akyrky Sabak and Agai — these were produced with our support!

Through our book translation program, we have translated more than 60 American titles into Kyrgyz, distributing 30,000 copies to libraries throughout the country.  We are beginning to make some titles available digitally to increase access to these books.

In return, we strive to share American culture and expertise through our exchange programs and resource centers.  In 2022, we sent over 200 Kyrgyzstani participants, ranging from high school students to professionals, to the United States.  That puts us at over 7,000 exchange alumni from Kyrgyzstan alone.

We also strive to bring the U.S. experience to the Kyrgyz Republic through our eight American Corners.  I have seen for myself what a difference they can make.  Last year they welcomed over 280,000 visitors from across the country.    These centers help make dreams come true.

Visitors hone their English skills with native speakers; learn computer programming and media literacy skills; compete in NASA-run hackathons; and successfully apply to American universities.

We don’t just stick to working in urban areas though.  Since 1993, over 1,300 Peace Corps Volunteers have co-taught English with local teachers and promoted intercultural understanding in the Kyrgyz Republic’s most remote communities.

So, what does it all add up to – 32 years, thousands of exchange program alumni, millions of American Corner visitors, two billion dollars in programming, and countless hours of collaboration?  Well, math was never my favorite subject.

But considering where we were 40 years ago, I’d say we – and I mean we because you are critical to this – have accomplished what was once unimaginable.

I want to end today by looking forward.  Together what will we achieve over the next four decades?  What is it that seems impossible today that will be within reach tomorrow?

That depends on you.

Diplomacy is not a spectator sport, and you are all diplomats – with your American education bridging the United States and your home countries.

As we say in Kyrgyz: Билим — адамдын канаты.  Knowledge is the wing of humanity.   Use your education to help your communities soar, and together we can take our countries’ relationship to new heights.

Thank you!

By U.S. Embassy Bishkek | 23 October, 2023 | Topics: Speeches