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AMBASSADOR BLAKE: Well thank you very much Mr. Chairman, and Chairman Poe, and thanks
to all the other members of the committee. I'm delighted to be here today to testify
and I look forward to working with all of you. As you said Mr. Chairman, I have a longer
statement that with your permission I will submit for the record.
Chairman Rohrabacher, let me just start by thanking you and Chairman Poe for taking a
CODEL to Uzbekistan. That visit was well received and we really appreciate the time and trouble
you took to do that.
I'm pleased to testify today as we enter an especially critical and dynamic phase of our
relations with Central Asia. Despite the real gains in stability in Afghanistan, our planned
drawdown in Afghanistan and continued use of the Northern Distribution Network has raised
anxiety levels among our Central Asian partners about the increased potential for instability
and extremism, especially beyond 2014.
I'll let my colleague from the Bureau of Counterterrorism expand more on the specifics of the Islamic
militant threat, but I will start by saying that we do not assess that there is an imminent
Islamic militant threat to Central Asian states.
Nonetheless, this is no time for complacency. Our foreign assistance programs seek to build
the capacity of Central Asian countries to address transnational threats - such as those
posed by Islamic militant groups, that members of the committee discussed - while promoting
regional economic integration and development.
We also use our engagement as a mechanism to tackle issues related to human rights,
rule of law and corruption and promote economic growth, as failure to address these could
contribute to militancy.
To achieve these objectives, we are using a combination of diplomatic engagement and
bilateral and multilateral assistance. On the diplomatic front, the United States holds
annual bilateral consultations with each of the five Central Asian states. These consultations,
which I chair with the Foreign Ministers or Deputy Foreign Ministers of each country,
form the cornerstone of our bilateral relationships.
Through these, we convey a consistent message that democratic reform, respect for freedom
of expression and religion, and an active civil society all contribute to stability,
while cracking down on dissent and driving it underground may create more favorable conditions
for radicalism.
Our public diplomacy and assistance programs also reinforce our objective of strengthening
respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Mr. Chairman, our bilateral security assistance is helping build the Central Asian states'
capacity to address and counter a broad range of threats, including terrorism. In 2012,
the United States provided approximately $215 million of security assistance across the
range of Central Asian states. The bulk of this assistance focused on building capacity
of law enforcement agencies to address transnational threats, including terrorism and narcotics
trafficking.
We recognize that our interest in combating terrorism and other cross-border threats are
shared by others, so we are engaging with others who are active in Central Asia in a
cooperative approach to regional security and stability. I have made it a personal priority
to expand significantly our consultations with Russia, China, the EU and others on Central
Asia and we have seen successful cooperation on a number of key initiatives that are outlined
in my written testimony.
Let me conclude by reiterating that we do not assess that there is an imminent Islamist
militant threat to Central Asian states. The limited threat currently posed by Islamist
militants to Central Asia, however, is no room for complacency or retreat. The Central
Asians face a broad range of challenges that, as in many other societies, could fuel radicalism
in the long run and threaten the security interests of the United States and our allies.
Addressing these challenges demands our continued vigilance and engagement in the region. Thank
you very much Mr. Chairman.