Citizen contact and continued exchanges will remain vital if the U.S. hopes to prevent Kyrgyzstan from sliding back into authoritarian rule, the country's former ambassador said recently while passing through Helena.

Baktybek Abdrisaev, the Kyrgyz ambassador to the U.S. and Canada from 1997 to 2005, stopped in Helena to visit friends.

While enjoying tea at a downtown business with Chuck Butler, former communications director under Gov. Judy Martz, Abdrisaev discussed the unique partnership between Montana and Kyrgyzstan, and how that friendship must evolve to survive changing times.

";With Russia and the United States trying to adjust their interest and goals in Central Asia, we're losing (opportunities) to give (the Kyrgyz) people a chance to understand markets, reform, and build a more democratic society," Abdrisaev said.

The partnership between Montana and Kyrgyzstan began in 1994 under the Partnership for Peace Program. It was a Pentagon effort aimed at helping former Soviet republics, like Kyrgyzstan, move toward democratic rule by connecting them with state National Guards.

But since its creation, the Montana-Kyrgyz partnership has moved beyond the National Guard to include civilian exchanges and growing trade between Montana entrepreneurs and Kyrgyz craft makers.

Abdrisaev said the friendship has spawned new ideas as well, such as sustainable mountain development and ties between the mountainous people of Central Asia and the Rocky Mountain states.

";The foundation that was built continues to be strengthened, and the American side has created some good chances for new ties to develop with Kyrgyzstan," Abdrisaev said. ";In many cases, it helps preserve, strengthen and further deepen relations for the future."

A push for more collegiate exchanges is also on the table, so long as funding remains available through the International Research and Exchange Board run by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Such arrangements aren't new to Carroll College, which awarded Kyrgyzstan's former president an honorary doctorate before he was ousted from power and has hosted students from Kyrgyzstan each of the past six years.

Carroll president Thomas Trebon noted that one of those students, Roman Muzalevskiy, hopes to represent Kyrgyzstan as a diplomat. Another Kyrgyz student, who is expected to attend Carroll this year, will study business and economics.

";There are significant differences of values and opinions between aspects of society," said Trebon, who has visited Kyrgyzstan twice and understands the challenges Abdrisaev refers to. ";We're not all going to agree, and we're not all going to like one another. But that shouldn't stop us from finding common ground."

But finding common ground may get more difficult as the political climate shifts throughout Central Asia, placing new strains on the Montana-Kyrgyz partnership.

Once an ";island of democracy," Abdrisaev said the Kyrgyz government now faces growing corruption and risks backsliding into authoritarian rule. The reassertion of Russian power, the U.S. involvement in nearby Afghanistan and the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, he added, may further challenge Kyrgyz leadership.

In an editorial that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on July 13, Abdrisaev wrote how U.S. dealings in the region have placed Kyrgyz democracy at risk. Among the issues, he noted, was how the U.S. recently brokered a deal to continue using Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan to supply the war effort in Afghanistan.

While that may benefit the U.S. mission in the Middle East, Abdrisaev said, it also means ";millions of dollars" for Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev, who ";has defaulted on virtually all of the democratic promises" he made when he came to power in 2005.

";The U.S. needs to avoid becoming obsessed with air-base politics and pay more attention to its long-term relationship with Kyrgyzstan, including political reforms in the country," Abdrisaev wrote. ";The question is whether the aid will contribute to Kyrgyzstan's long-term development or mainly benefit Mr. Bakiev and his cronies."

Over the past 13 years, the Montana-Kyrgyz relationship has included delegations focused on medicine, teaching, health care and tourism.

New business ties have been established, and local volunteer efforts have helped launch new programs in Kyrgyzstan, including the Farm in the Dell.

The partnership with Montana reached a promising high in 2003 when then-Kyrgyz president Askar Akayev became the first foreign head of state to visit Montana. He was then ousted from power in 2005 amid allegations of corruption.

";When the change in leadership in Kyrgyzstan occurred in 2005, I think that may have had a little effect on the momentum that had built up," said Butler, who served under Martz when Akayev visited Montana. ";But it hasn't stopped the relationship. I think it's really getting back to that point about relationships and partnerships and taking it little by little."

The partnership survived the ousting of Akayev. Over the past four years, delegations have included members from the Center for Russian Leadership, along with Kyrgyzstan's vice minister of defense, its head of border services and security, and its deputy foreign minister.

But while political delegations are an important part of the process, Abdrisaev believes that person-to-person exchanges and civilian sharing will be fundamental in setting a new course toward a stable Kyrgyz democracy.

";It's more effective to find the right connections with people who share the same thoughts and ideas, and live in the same environment, and experience many of the same challenges," Abdrisaev said. ";We understand each other, maybe not on politically common ground, but because we understand each other as human beings."

Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com