Kyrgyz leader says U.S. 'sought chaos' by decorating dissident

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev attends an informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders summit on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two at the Kremlin in Moscow May 8, 2015. REUTERS/Host Photo Agency/RIA Novosti

CHOLPON ATA, Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) - Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said on Monday the United States had sought to "create chaos" in his country by granting an award to a jailed dissident.

The Central Asian country protested to Washington this month and tore up a cooperation agreement after the U.S. State Department conferred a human rights award on Azimjon Askarov, jailed for life for inciting ethnic hatred.