UPDATE ON TURKEY'S COMMITMENT TO AFGHANISTAN

UNCLAS ANKARA 002572 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR EB/IFD/ODF, SA/RA, SA/PAB, EUR/SE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREL EFIN AF TU SUBJECT: UPDATE ON TURKEY'S COMMITMENT TO AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION REF: ANKARA 356 ¶1. (U) Summary. Amb. Ahmet Okcun, MFA Coordinator for Afghanistan Reconstruction, told us that per Afghan Minister of Trade, Turkey is Afghanistan's largest source of foreign investment with 30 companies and over $200 million invested. GOT's commitment remains modest at $3 million. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Amb. Okcun reiterated to Econ Officer (4/18) GOT's commitment to "keeping its promise" on Afghanistan Reconstruction. Turkey has committed $3 million (Ref A). Okcun divided Turkey's more robust private sector efforts into three categories: -- Contractors: At least half of the 30 Turkish companies registered in Afghanistan to work as contractors or "partners" have opened offices there. -- Investments: The Afghan Minister of Trade told Okcun that Turkey tops the list of foreign investors in Afghanistan, with investments exceeding $100 million in construction and $115 million in other investments. Okcun has not received a requested itemized accounting of these investments, many of which are linked to U.S. companies. -- Trade: Okcun says that Turkey has agreements with Afghanistan's northern neighbors as a trade line for bringing products into Afghanistan. Despite the relative costliness of Turkish products, they sell well, he says. ¶3. (SBU) Following-up on the High Level Strategic Forum in Brussels in March, Okcun was very highly impressed with the size and level of the U.S. delegation but was greatly disappointed that the meeting raised so few new contributions and involved so few Minister-level participants. He expressed specific concern that the world's attention would shift to Iraq and abandon both Turkey and Afghanistan in their reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. ¶4. (U) Comment: In addition to responsibilities for Afghan Reconstruction, Amb. Okcun will assume interagency GOT coordination of Iraq Reconstruction. PEARSON