John Kerry invents country of Kyrzakhstan #secretaryofstate
— Dave H. (@daveh1205) February 25, 2013
Stop, our aching sides! Sadly, there was no “JK” after that remark. During a speech on the eve of his first trip as Secretary of State, John Kerry referred to the non-existent country of “Kyrzakhstan.”
In an embarrassing slip of the tongue, Mr Kerry last week praised US diplomats working to secure “democratic institutions” in the Central Asian country, which does not exist.
The newly minted diplomat was referring to Kyrgyzstan, a poor, landlocked nation of 5.5 million, which he appeared to confuse with its resource-rich neighbour to the north, Kazakhstan.
The Telegraph also reports that the State Department left that out of the official transcript. Transparency!
In a strong start right out of the gate, Sec Kerry supports democracy promotion efforts in "Kyrzakhstan" http://t.co/kDFGgLdMTH
— Ilya Lozovsky (@ichbinilya) February 22, 2013
https://twitter.com/mjlogue33/status/305070370149498881
The gaffe-tastic unintentional portmanteau occurred a few days ago, but is picking up steam on Twitter today.
John Kerry Makes Up New Country: Kyrzakhstan | Washington Free Beacon http://t.co/saC7UG6QSp
— heather (@CFHeather) February 25, 2013
https://twitter.com/JammieWF/status/306053496225026048
And, boy, is the buzz hilarious.
https://twitter.com/Rschrim/status/306052069641560064
He must have just watched Borat MT @Gabby_Hoffman: John Kerry invents country of Kyrzakhstan via @Telegraph http://t.co/rK7kT9UBA1
— The Bearded Fat Guy (@BigBeardedLife) February 25, 2013
https://twitter.com/PaddyJManning/status/306056971470131201
@JammieWF Kyrzakhstan's primary export: horse meat to Sweden for use in meatballs.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) February 25, 2013
You know what phrase we haven't heard in a while? "Smart diplomacy." #Curious RT @redsteeze: John Kerry can see Kyrzakhstan from his house
— Michele Frost (@michelelfrost) February 25, 2013
Zing! And, it being Twitter, a parody account enters the mix.
The Kingdom of Kyrzakhstan welcomes y'all. We are an ally of Russia & product of the US. We {heart} Chinese democracy & Indian development.
— Kyrzakhstan (@kyrzakhstan) February 25, 2013
Heh. Oddly enough, The Boston Globe reportedly seems to have missed this story.
How did the @bostonglobe miss Kerry inventing "Kyrzakhstan" in their front page story today?!? http://t.co/ybIun17rOb
— Alleigh Marré (@alleighmarre) February 25, 2013
Probably because his last name doesn’t rhyme with Kalin and he has a (D) next to his name, natch.
Do we smell a hashtag?
— Johno Ellison (@JohnoEllison) February 25, 2013
And, no worries! The secretary of dunce is out and about today.
#SecKerry meets Prime Minister @David_Cameron @Number10gov this morning #SecKerryinUK pic.twitter.com/WckxR45kc9
— U.S. Embassy London (@USAinUK) February 25, 2013
Our allies: The United Klingdom?
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