Ambassador Spratlen's Statement on Celebrating 20 Years of Friendship and Cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States

December 27, 2011

Boyd Doty, left, and Dennis Buck as the strains of “The Star-Spangled Banner” are heard in Bishkek

Twenty years ago, on December 25, 1991, President George H.W. Bush officially recognized the independence of Kyrgyzstan, saying, “The United States applauds and supports the historic choice for freedom… We will move quickly to establish diplomatic relations and build new ties.”  A few weeks later, on February 1, 1992, the U.S. flag was raised above the first foreign embassy in Bishkek, at that time a one-story home on Erkindik Boulevard.  As the first U.S. embassy in Central Asia, it seems appropriate that it was located on a street named freedom.      

With this newfound freedom and independence, citizens of our two countries began to meet and exchange ideas about life, culture, family, and history.  In two decades, over three thousand citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic visited the United States through our government-sponsored exchange programs, in addition to countless others who have traveled to the U.S. for business or tourism.  Kyrgyz high school students have lived with American host families and attended American schools.  Students were exposed to American university life and some even obtained master’s degrees or completed post-doctoral research in the United States.  Professionals toured the U.S. to compare best practices with their American counterparts. 

Meanwhile American teachers, experts, artists, and a wide variety of professionals traveled to Kyrgyzstan to exchange ideas locally.  Nearly one thousand Peace Corps Volunteers have lived in Kyrgyz homes and taught in schools or worked with local organizations.  These Volunteers have returned home to the United States to share their experience – and their Kyrgyz language skills – with many other Americans, just as the Kyrgyz participants in U.S. exchange programs have returned to Kyrgyzstan to share their impressions of the U.S. with family, friends and colleagues.  This mutual exchange has given us mutual understanding, and our nations’ friendship deepened.    

Today the Kyrgyz Republic leads Central Asia in political reform with a new constitution, a government chosen by its citizens through admirably competitive and open elections, and leadership whose primary goal is to guide the country on a path of progress and stability.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has attributed Kyrgyzstan’s achievements to “the strong character of the Kyrgyz people, the incredible resilience that you have shown since independence, but, most importantly, the path of democracy that you have chosen now…You are pioneers. Look around you in this region. You are trying to do something that no one else has done.”

The United States is a proud friend and partner of the Kyrgyz Republic, and we applaud these efforts to build a better future for all citizens of this great country.  We stand firmly in support of the people of the Kyrgyz Republic who have cast their votes for effective representative government that will create jobs and economic growth, improve rule of law and access to justice, promote the protection of human rights, and reinforce health and education sector reforms.  Since the establishment of our diplomatic relations twenty years ago, we have contributed over one billion dollars in assistance through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. Government institutions.  We are fully committed to cooperating with the government and people of the Kyrgyz Republic to meet the most urgent development needs throughout the country.  As the business environment improves, we hope to expand trade and investment ties. 

Our two nations’ friendship goes beyond the people-to-people exchange and joint efforts to improve livelihoods.  We also stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the world stage as genuine partners with shared interests in seeking a stable, secure region.  The Kyrgyz Republic plays a major role in this regard by hosting the Transit Center at Manas International Airport, and the United States is deeply appreciative of this contribution to international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.  The role played by the Kyrgyz Republic in this critical global security issue is illustrative of the transformation in this country in a mere twenty years.

Since the formal establishment of our bilateral relations twenty years ago, the United States of America has been a proud partner of the Kyrgyz Republic to strengthen stability, democracy, human rights and national unity.  As your nation has grown and transformed, so too has our friendship.  It is my great honor to serve as the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kyrgyz Republic during this twentieth year of your nation’s independence.  I look forward to marking this milestone with you over the course of the year as we celebrate the friendship and cooperation that has defined our bilateral relationship for two decades.  And, I look forward to laying the groundwork for the next chapter of friendship between the people of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States of America.