WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON MEETING WITH CENTRAL AMERICA INTEGRATION SYSTEM MEMBERS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE CENTRAL AMERICA
April 10, 2015
FACT SHEET: U.S. Cooperation with Central America; Meeting with Members of the Central America Integration System (SICA)

At the 2015 Summit of the Americas in Panama, President Obama met with the leaders of Central America Integration System (SICA) member states and the SICA Secretary General on April 10 to underscore the strong U.S. commitment to, and partnership with, Central America.  The U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America promotes the goal of an economically integrated region that provides economic opportunities to its people, enjoys more accountable, transparent, and effective public institutions, and ensures a safe environment for its citizens.

President Obama requested $1 billion from the U.S. Congress for Fiscal Year 2016 in support of the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America in all seven Central American nations.  While the United States will prioritize assistance to the Northern Triangle – El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras – our strategy is region-wide.  Central America’s prosperity and security, its opportunities and challenges, are inextricably linked and have a direct impact on the rest of the hemisphere.

Eleven years have passed since the August 2004 signing of the Dominican Republic-Central America - United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), when our countries committed to promote economic growth, expand trade and investment opportunities, and strengthen both regional integration and competitiveness of the parties, yielding positive results for the seven partners of this trading bloc.

Higher and sustained growth is required to create opportunity and reduce poverty.   Despite the economic challenges faced by the world economy in recent years, the intra-regional trade among Central American countries and the Dominican Republic increased from US$6.3 billion in 2010 to more than US$8 billion by 2014.  U.S goods exports to Central America and the Dominican Republic in 2014 were $31.3 billion, up 99 percent from 2004; U.S. good imports from Central America and the Dominican Republic totaled $28.4 billion in 2014, up 60 percent over that same period.  These increased trade flows are promising, and stronger economic growth is possible with greater economic integration.

At the meeting with SICA Heads of State, President Obama encouraged his counterparts to pursue regional integration, promote trade facilitation, and approach security as a region.  He also noted that sustainable economic growth is more likely when a country enjoys transparent, accountable democratic institutions and a strong commitment to citizen security.

Promoting Regional Economic Integration and Growth

Central America’s place at the geographic crossroads of this hemisphere is a tremendous economic asset.  In order to make the most of this advantage, Central American nations should continue to work together to integrate and grow their economies by reducing tariffs, investing in infrastructure and border facilities, streamlining customs procedures, and partnering with each other on issues such as energy.   The region is the focal point of the Connecting the Americas 2022 initiative, which will help attract investment in clean energy and reduce energy costs by interconnecting the region’s electricity markets.  The United States has just launched a $20 million facility to drive private sector investment into clean energy projects in the Caribbean and Central America. The Facility will provide early-stage funding to catalyze larger private sector investment in clean energy projects.  The United States will also partner with Central American and Caribbean countries in a task force to evaluate our progress on energy cooperation and identify concrete steps to advance energy sector reform, regional integration, and clean energy development.

Countries should accelerate actions such as improved access to and quality of education, vocational training opportunities, and small business development models to encourage entrepreneurship and ensure growth that is broad-based and equitable.   By improving public financial management, governments also will be better equipped to make key public investments, provide critical public services, improve fiscal transparency and over time decrease the need for international donor support.  Deeper regional integration can also help build resilience against destabilizing events such as natural disasters, for example through pooled efforts to insure against risk.

Cooperating on Violence Prevention and Combating Crime

U.S. engagement on security complements the efforts of host nations and like-minded donors to reduce levels of crime and violence, strengthen rule of law institutions, and help address the root causes of insecurity that impede broader economic development and social inclusion.  Our programs in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala amplify local government efforts to promote crime prevention and police capacity-building in the most adversely affected communities.   We are similarly united in our efforts to combat transnational organized, crime, including by providing support to improve land border and maritime interdiction throughout the region, and cooperating with partner nations to investigate and prosecute those who conduct human smuggling operations exploiting the desperation of parents and children making the dangerous journey north.   In Panama, the Regional Border Management Academy conducts training of border officials, while in Costa Rica, our assistance to prisons, border police training, and support for nationwide use of data-driven policing is positioning them as a regional model.

In November 2014, the U.S. Department of State announced its in-country refugee processing program in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  The program is part of the Obama Administration’s response to last summer’s influx of unaccompanied children and families fleeing to the United States from Central America and will work to provide a safe, legal, and orderly alternative to the dangerous journey that some children are currently undertaking to the United States.  The new program allows parents from those nations, who are lawfully present in the United States, to submit an application to have their children join them in the United States if they qualify for refugee status or humanitarian parole.

Sustaining Economic and Security Gains through Accountable Governance

The enabling environment for sustained growth, stability and prosperity for the region will require good governance, including support for democratic values, strengthening of criminal justice and other legal institutions to combat impunity and promote the rule of law, and advancing rights and protections for civil society and the media.  The private sector, small business owners, and international investors want confidence in the security of their investment and assurances that business dealings are fair and legal.  Institutions must establish a pattern of transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and independence.

AMBASSADOR SEPULVEDA'S REMARKS ON THE DIGITAL ECONOMY OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. AND JAPAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
03/30/2015 02:35 PM EDT
Trade and the Digital Economy: Opportunities for U.S.-Japan Global Leadership
Remarks
Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda
Deputy Assistant Secretary and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
Brookings Institute
Washington, DC
March 30, 2015
As prepared

Three billion people are connected to the Internet today. And trillions of devices are set up to join them in the Internet of Things. Together, those connections and the data and economic activity that they generate constitute the global digital economy. Our trade policy and other bilateral efforts can and should enable its growth.

America and Japan are leaders in the global digital economy, not just as producers and consumers, but as advocates for the policies that enable its existence and continued development. Our partnership is strong because we both believe that promoting continued global connectivity, with as little friction as possible injected into the transfer of ideas and information, holds the potential to help lift people out of poverty, formalize the informal economy around the world, increase the efficiency of supply chains, increase the productivity of workers, raise wages, and improve people’s lives.

We both believe that the promotion of the global digital economy is an enabler of human progress. It forms a foundational platform for broadly shared prosperity.

So what does that mean for our trade policy and why should advocates for the global Internet support our work in this space, including Trade Promotion Authority and the TPP? The answer is this: the value that trade agreements can add to the strengthening of the global Internet as a platform for progress lies in language that America and Japan are championing. The goal is to establish a joint commitment among signatories to policy that encourages private sector investments in the networks that enable the transmission of data across borders by protecting cloud computing against data localization for example and provisions preserving the free flow of information over the communications networks that connect people and nations. These are two critical elements to the future of the Internet.

Those provisions applied to as many markets as an agreement like the TPP will cover can create the certainty of a safe space for the Internet to continue to grow that covers millions of people and can set an example for the rest of the world to follow.

Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, has made the argument that, "America’s trade negotiating objectives must reflect the fact that the Internet represents the shipping lane for 21st Century goods and services… Trade in digital goods and services is growing and driving economic growth and job creation all around the country. U.S digital exports are beating imports by large margins, but outdated trade rules threaten this growth by providing opportunities for protectionist policies overseas. The U.S. has the opportunity to establish new trade rules that preserve the Internet as a platform to share ideas and for expanding commerce..."

Senator Wyden is absolutely correct. He is widely acknowledged as one of the strongest champions for the open Internet in our Congress and his work on trade is consistent with that body of work.

Our pending agreements with nations in the Pacific community will establish rules for the preservation of those virtual shipping lanes as enablers of the transport of services and ideas, allowing startups and the voices of everyday people to challenge incumbent power in markets and ideas.

We know that both old and new American businesses, small and large alike, are dependent on the global Internet as the enabler of access to previously unreachable consumers. In the U.S. alone, American Internet companies and their global community of users contribute over $141 billion in annual revenue to the overall U.S. GDP, simultaneously employing 6.6 million people. And the Internet is not simply about the World Wide Web, it is the communications platform for managing global supply chains, distributing services, and acquiring the market information necessary to succeed anywhere.

As Ambassador Froman has said, “Trade, done right, is part of the solution, not part of the problem.” It is, when done right, an enabler of the values America holds dear. And that idea is neither new nor partisan.

It was Woodrow Wilson who said, “The program of the world's peace, therefore, is our program; and that program, the only possible program, as we see it, is this” and he listed his fourteen points. Among them was number three: “The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance.”

It was Franklin Roosevelt who asked the New Deal Congress for the first grant of trade negotiating authority.

In his remarks at the signing of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, it was JFK who said, “Increased economic activity resulting from increased trade will provide more job opportunities for our workers. Our industry, our agriculture, our mining will benefit from increased export opportunities as other nations agree to lower their tariffs. Increased exports and imports will benefit our ports, steamship lines, and airlines as they handle an increased amount of trade. Lowering of our tariffs will provide an increased flow of goods for our American consumers. Our industries will be stimulated by increased export opportunities and by freer competition with the industries of other nations for an even greater effort to develop an efficient, economic, and productive system. The results can bring a dynamic new era of growth.”

If he were alive today, he would have also cited what increased trade could do for the global Internet.

It is fully consistent with the sentiments of these giants in our tradition, from Wilson to Kennedy, that President Obama most recently stated, “Twenty-first century businesses, including small businesses, need to sell more American products overseas. Today, our businesses export more than ever, and exporters tend to pay their workers higher wages. But as we speak, China wants to write the rules for the world’s fastest-growing region. That would put our workers and our businesses at a disadvantage. Why would we let that happen? We should write those rules. We should level the playing field. That’s why I’m asking both parties to give me trade promotion authority to protect American workers, with strong new trade deals from Asia to Europe that aren’t just free, but are also fair. It’s the right thing to do.”

Preservation of these ideals is and should remain a bipartisan and broadly held goal. It is critical to our future and contained within the language we are asking Congress to approve.

Beyond trade policy and the critical provisions in the TPP for the future of the Internet, America and Japan can and are working together to ensure that our domestic digital initiatives are both enabling the digital economy and leveraging it for positive purposes. We conduct annual dialogues on the subject and share information and ideas on issues ranging from how we use communications for disaster response, how we encourage competition, and how we are working to sensibly construct rules for the collection, use, and distribution of data in our markets in a way that protects privacy while enabling innovation.

In the multilateral space and of most direct relevance to the work of my office, American and Japan are strong partners in multilateral forums and negotiations where we work together to ensure that we preserve the decentralized, multistakeholder system of Internet governance. Last year, our two governments partnered at the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary treaty conference to protect the Internet’s existing system of voluntary protocols and multistakeholder-led governance against initiatives by other nations to centralize control over the Internet in the hands of governments at the UN. At the same time we partnered at the NETMundial conference in Brazil, the Internet Governance Forum, and other institutions and gatherings in an effort to encourage and facilitate greater participation and representation from the developing world in the multistakeholder system of Internet governance.

Together, we will continue to focus the world on expanding connectivity, keeping digital trade routes open, and ensuring that we continue to expand the digital economy and make it more inclusive. These are valuable, long term efforts and we have the kinds of bonds between friends and allies that will help us succeed.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to your questions.

LEADERS MAKE STATEMENT ON TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP)

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
November 10, 2014
Trans-Pacific Partnership Leaders’ Statement
November 10, 2014

We, the Leaders of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam, welcome the significant progress in recent months, as reported to us by our Ministers, that sets the stage to bring these landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to conclusion. We are encouraged that Ministers and negotiators have narrowed the remaining gaps on the legal text of the agreement and that they are intensively engaging to complete ambitious and balanced packages to open our markets to one another, in accordance with the instructions we gave them in Bali a year ago. With the end coming into focus, we have instructed our Ministers and negotiators to make concluding this agreement a top priority so that our businesses, workers, farmers, and consumers can start to reap the real and substantial benefits of the TPP agreement as soon as possible.

As we mobilize our teams to conclude the negotiations, we remain committed to ensuring that the final agreement reflects our common vision of an ambitious, comprehensive, high-standard, and balanced agreement that enhances the competitiveness of our economies, promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, spurs economic growth and prosperity, and supports job creation in our countries. We are dedicated to ensuring that the benefits of the agreement serve to promote development that is sustainable, broad based and inclusive, and that the agreement takes into account the diversity of our levels of development.  The gains that TPP will bring to each of our countries can expand even further should the open approach we are developing extend more broadly throughout the region.  We remain committed to a TPP structure that can include other regional partners that are prepared to adopt its high standards.

Our fundamental direction to our Ministers throughout this process has been to negotiate an outcome that will generate the greatest possible benefit for each of our countries.  In order to achieve that, our governments have worked to reflect the input we each have received from our stakeholders in the negotiation.  Continued engagement will be critical as our Ministers work to resolve the remaining issues in the negotiation.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RIVKIN'S REMARKS ON U.S.-CHINA FILM RELATIONSHIP

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Keynote Address at Motion Picture Association Reception

Remarks

Charles H. Rivkin

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Beijing, China

September 5, 2014

Remarks as prepared

Thank you. I am so delighted to have the opportunity to attend this movie reception. It doesn’t matter where we go in the world, movies are magical.

From Santa Monica, where I spent almost 20 years working in the entertainment sector, to Paris, France, where I most recently served four years as U.S. Ambassador, I have witnessed firsthand people’s excitement and reverence for films.

I think it’s because movies – on screens large and small – reach so deeply into the things that matter to us: personal aspirations, our desire to pursue happiness and be free. They connect people across borders, across cultures, and they transcend languages.

I am very excited to be in China today to discuss the burgeoning U.S.-China film relationship. Back when I started in the entertainment industry, I would not have imagined that China would be on pace to become the largest film market in the world. The news that Transformers: Age of Extinction broke $300 million in the China market alone is truly remarkable.

However, I would like to take a step back from the numbers and remember why I got into this business so many years ago.

At the Jim Henson Company, I had the privilege to work with the creators of the Muppets and Sesame Street. Jim Henson once told me that media can be an enormous source of good in the world. He lived that philosophy through the programs that he made, such as Sesame Street.

I also attribute a great deal of the American success to telling great stories, even the dark ones.

Last year, I was equally parts horrified and captivated when I watched 12 years a Slave, a movie that tells a true story of a free black man who is kidnapped in Washington, D.C. and sold into slavery. This film, which won the Oscar for best picture, immerses the audience in the pure brutality of being a slave in the United States.

This is a terrible chapter in our history and is difficult to watch. But the freedom, and I would say the bravery, of directors, writers, and producers to point this critical lens at our past, resulted in an authentic movie that touched people and made an important artistic and historical contribution to society.

A great story must be told in a captivating way. We often use technology as a vehicle to believably deliver our story. Tonight in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, we will see technology that truly dazzles. This great new example of science fiction draws on breakthroughs in movie technology.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ visuals prove that there are no longer any boundaries between computer-generated characters, as the apes feel just as real as the actors playing human roles.

The technological advances that shape the movie experience and allow the audience to get lost in the story are one part of the complex production process and viewing experience. Advanced technologies in the movie theaters, such as IMAX, 3D, and thunderous surround-sound make powerful contributions to the audience experience in the theater.

Of course these technologies were developed through painstaking research and trial and error, and funded by millions of dollars of investment.

From my former vantage as a CEO, it is clear to me that strong intellectual property rights and open markets are also critical components to developing a thriving film industry.

Making a $200 million bet on a new movie or film technology is difficult if a company cannot adequately protect its intellectual property.

The patents and licenses for these break-through technologies, and the trademarks and copyrights vital to creating thrilling and enduring movies, allow rights holders to earn profits and recoup the cost to develop and commercialize their creative ideas.

And as Assistant Secretary of State for the U.S. State Department’s Economic and Business Bureau, safeguarding intellectual property rights is one of my key priorities.

When we talk about intellectual property rights, we’re not talking about abstractions. We’re really talking about people.

Yes, movies matter to us as consumers. But they also matter to the people who create the ideas, the products and the technology that make them possible. And not just the ones who invented it, but the ones who work on it.

There’s a whole industry of men and women – all over the world, not just in the United States – who develop, produce, create, distribute or promote motion pictures and television programs. And whether they are artists or technicians, their livelihoods depend on the creation of these films that enrich our lives.

This IPR problem is not limited to the entertainment industry, but impacts businesses – small and large – across all sectors. Prior to coming to Beijing, I met with entrepreneurs and small businesses in Myanmar, Singapore, and Hong Kong, all of whom voiced their concern about losing their ideas to intellectual property theft.

Returning to the film industry, I am also deeply concerned about digital piracy, which is a real threat to U.S. and Chinese content creators alike. Some films are adversely impacted because pirated versions are available prior to the films’ official opening, decreasing the number of potential moviegoers, as we have seen in the very recent case of The Expendables 3.

Increased movie revenues have the potential to benefit both foreign and domestic stakeholders, both of whom should care deeply about intellectual property protection.

In fact, I just had a wonderful discussion this morning with Mr. Wang, Chairman of Wanda, one of China’s largest entertainment companies. Many of you are probably familiar with Chairman Wang and Wanda’s 2012 acquisition of the U.S.-based movie theater operator, AMC. In our conversation, he agreed with me that intellectual property rights are critical for the future growth of China.

The boom in the Chinese box office, which reached sales of $3.6 billion in 2013 has been wonderful for Chinese filmmakers and the industry as a whole, but the Chinese film and television industry has more to offer than simply a large audience: it has the possibility to develop further as a mature, self-sustaining, economically and creatively successful industry.

There truly is so much potential for our industries to flourish and further excite audiences around the world. I look forward to continued cooperation among our governments, industries, and creative sectors to develop our film industries and protect intellectual property. After all, if we want to continue to see the movies we love, we need to reward those who create them.

KYRGYSTAN: "THE PREMIER DEMOCRACY IN CENTRAL ASIA"

The Tien Shan Mountains.  From:  CIA World Factbook.

 
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Press Availability with Kyrgyz Republic Media
Remarks
Wendy Sherman
Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
November 30, 2012

Undersecretary Sherman: Thank you all for being here today. I am very honored and delighted to have been in Kyrgyzstan today and had a series of meetings including with the former President, with the current President, with the Prime Minister, and with members of civil society. Also in these meetings the Foreign Minister, the head of the Defense Council and other officials were present.

The United States wants to make sure that the spotlight is on the premier democracy in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a young democracy and has made much progress in a very short period of time. All of the leaders with whom I met today expressed their desire to make more progress. Even in the United States which is a democracy over 200 years old, we are still perfecting our democracy.

The United States also greatly appreciates Kyrgyzstan’s work in partnership with us to bring security and stability and economic development to Afghanistan and to all of Central Asia. I am very grateful for all of the excellent dialogue that I have had today and I return to the United States with many ideas about how to further strengthen our relationship. I’m delighted that Ambassador Spratlen is here to follow up on all that she and I heard today.

I’m delighted to take your questions.

Map:  Kyrgystan.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

 
Media: [Through the Interpreter]. What was the outcome of your meeting today with President Atambayev?

Undersecretary Sherman: I had an excellent conversation with your President. We had a very far-ranging discussion. Everything from the development of this democracy to the economic needs of the country to the partnership with the United States, with our ongoing work together in the region and in the world.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. To what extent United States is committed to the idea of the New Silk Road and the role of Manas Airport in it?

Undersecretary Sherman: Thank you for raising this question. The United States is very committed to an enduring relationship and presence in Central Asia to work in partnership with Kyrgyzstan and other countries to help with economic development for the people of Central Asia. The New Silk Road is a concept of building networks and trade and development across borders that will benefit everyone. Kyrgyzstan is a very active member of the effort to make this vision real.

One small example was a Women’s Economic Symposium that was hosted here in Bishkek last year. As a result of that literally well over 100 small and medium young entrepreneurs have gotten underway.

As far as the transit center at Manas, we are very grateful that Kyrgyzstan has supported an agreement for this transit center to continue to operate through the 2014 length of the agreement. Not only has it been critical to our effort in Afghanistan, but it has also I believe brought benefit to the people of Kyrgyzstan, both in the fees we pay, the jobs it provides, and the acquisition of local products to operate the center. We have helped to build infrastructure that will belong to Kyrgyzstan for years to come.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. I have two questions. The first question is about are the United States planning to donate to Kyrgyzstan part of the military or equipment after withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2014?

The second question is are the United States planning to provide military assistance to Kyrgyzstan? And what would that military assistance be?

Undersecretary Sherman: I think in the first question you’re referring to what we call excess military equipment. No decisions have been made about that and it’s really premature to discuss that, but it is certainly a discussion that we can have with Kyrgyzstan is there is something that’s appropriate and makes sense. When we do donate excess military equipment it is only non-lethal equipment.

As for military assistance, there is no plan at this time as regards military assistance.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. My question is related to the son of ex-President Bakayev and we know the United States has been pressing criminal charges against him. Are there any developments in the efforts to extradite him from London?

Undersecretary Sherman: Let me add one thing to the previous question which I wasn’t fully aware of. We do have an Office of Military Cooperation here where we do provide some training and assistance in that regard. So there is an ongoing effort with Kyrgyzstan.

As to your question regarding Maxim Bakayev, the U.S. Department of Justice has a criminal case against him based on his alleged violation of U.S. laws. This is about a specific violation within our jurisdiction and it is strictly a law enforcement issue.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. Lately we have been having very intensive economic relations between the Kyrgyz Republika and the Russian Federation. With regards to that I would like to ask, several years ago Assistant Secretary Boucher announced the construction of the CASA 1000 project which meant construction of electric power transmission lines in the direction of India and Pakistan. Would you please update us on the development in this area? Because it seems like the regional cooperation has been going horizontal rather than vertical towards those countries, and that in general, could you please give us more information about the economic relations between our countries? Do you envision any large projects coming?

Undersecretary Sherman: My understanding is that Kyrgyzstan very much supports the CASA 1000 project, and that it is moving forward. We are very glad for it because we think it’s a very good example of north/south cooperation. I think these are exactly the kinds of projects that will be integral to the New Silk Road and to ensuring that there is connectivity throughout the region that allows for increased trade, the development of more jobs, and so that young people are assured of a good and prosperous and stable future.

And let me add that we welcome everyone’s investment in Central Asia and in Kyrgyzstan because if it helps develop the country and creates a strong and vibrant democracy with a strong middle class, that will be good for the people of Kyrgyzstan, that will be good for the United States of America to have a strong and vibrant democracy here in Central Asia.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. There is some information that Russia is joining the project CASA 1000 and I would like to make sure that is it true that’s what good for the region is good for the United States? Is it the same way, what’s good for Russia is good for the United States?

Undersecretary Sherman: Well, that’s probably not always the case but my understanding is that Russia has expressed support for the project and we welcome conversation and we welcome participation. To create north/south connectivity for the region is good for everyone.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. I know that prior to your visit our administration President’s office has been saying that there might be negotiations about the transit center. Could you give us a little more specifics about which direction the developments could take?

A second question is President Atambayev since his presidency has never been in the United States and has he made an intention to or did he share his plans with you?

Undersecretary Sherman: I think that what I should say about all of this is that we would always welcome of course President Atambayev to come to the United States and just as I’m sure that the President would welcome our President here as well. All presidents have very difficult schedules so we will leave it to them to figure out what they are able to do.

I know you had another part of your questions -- about the transit center.

We greatly appreciate that the President and your country have made a commitment to the transit center to 2014. We will work out together what makes sense into the future. Right now that’s hypothetical. I’m sure that we will all come to an agreement that works first and foremost for Kyrgyzstan.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. Repeating the question about Maxim Bakayev. Will the United States insist on Maxim Bakayev’s extradition?

Undersecretary Sherman: We have made a request for his extradition. This is a long process. We do have an extradition with the United Kingdom. If we do indeed, he does arrive in the United States at some point he will of course go through our judicial system with all of our appeals. It will also take some time. So there is a long path ahead here, but as I said, we have alleged concerns. This is a Department of Justice matter about a specific violation and we will be following through as we do in our justice system.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. Did you discuss anything specific with the Secretary of Security Council?

Undersecretary Sherman: No.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. It’s more for like a personal question. We’ve seen many times how the way Richard Blake travels --

Undersecretary Sherman: Robert.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. -- as an economy class passenger. He picks up his luggage himself in a very democratic manner. I wanted to check whether you follow the same standards? And in general, are there any VIP [inaudible] for the U.S. officials?

Undersecretary Sherman: We all work very very hard as do I think diplomats in every single country. I am fortunate as an Undersecretary I can get a business class seat. Particularly because when I’m going to walk into a meeting. If I’m on a short distance, however, in the United States, I fly economy class as well. Any place in the United States I fly economy class. So when I’m going on a long distance trip and I have to get off an airplane and walk right into a meeting, then I can fly business class because of my rank. But yes, I carry my own bags. I never check bags because I don’t want them to get lost on an airplane. And for those of you who are women, I always, even if I’m traveling for two weeks, I only take a carry-on suitcase because I’m going to probably be in a different country every single day and nobody’s going to know what I’m going to wear. So I will get bored with my clothes, but I’ll still have only a carry-on suitcase. That’s just something we do.

The other thing is, we work all of the time. On this particular trip I left on a Saturday, I will return on a Saturday. So most of the time my weekends are spent on airplanes. In this one week I’ve been in four countries and five cities in one week.

Media: [Through the Interpreter]. What was the reason for Blake’s [inaudible]?

Undersecretary Sherman: My understanding is that your Foreign Minister had a scheduling conflict with the Organization of Islamic Conference which is certainly a very appropriate reason to reschedule the ABDs. I don’t, there’s no issue here whatsoever. We all have very demanding schedules. We are all juggling our schedules all of the time. And we certainly understand and we have absolutely no question whatsoever that it will be rescheduled and we will continue our very close annual bilateral consultations. Thank you.

　

Kyrgyzstan Locator Map.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV. Over the next few years, the new president manipulated the parliament to accrue new powers for himself. In July 2009, after months of harassment against his opponents and media critics, BAKIEV won re-election in a presidential campaign that the international community deemed flawed. In April 2010, nationwide protests led to the resignation and expulsion of BAKIEV. His successor, Roza OTUNBAEVA, served as transitional president until Almazbek ATAMBAEV was inaugurated in December 2011. Continuing concerns include: the trajectory of democratization, endemic corruption, poor interethnic relations, and terrorism.