DIP CORPS JOINS HANDS, RIDES A LOVE TRAIN TO THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000313

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CACEN (PERRY)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: DIP CORPS JOINS HANDS, RIDES A LOVE TRAIN TO THE
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. . . LITERALLY

Classified By: AMB: TRACEY JACOBSON FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D.

SUMMARY
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1. (C) On March 17, Conoff, along with most of Ashgabat's
diplomatic corps, traveled by train to the town of Ichoguz,
halfway between Ashgabat and Dashoguz to participate in the
inauguration ceremony of the new $2 billion
Ashgabat-Garagum-Dashoguz rail line. While the event itself
was nothing special, the atmospherics of inebriated
ambassadors at play on a new Chinese railcar did make for
interesting companionship and provided some insight into some
of the issues that our fellow diplomats deal with. While the
completion of the new rail line will definitely benefit
Turkmenistan's transportation and transit infrastructure, and
is another example of growing Chinese commercial influence in
Turkmenistan, it once again showed the GOTX's ability to
orchestrate another senseless spectacle without consideration
for the lives of the participants whose presence at such
events is obligatory. END SUMMARY.

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BACKGROUND ON THE BASHI EXPRESS
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2. (U) The recently completed 550 km
Ashgabat-Garagum-Dashoguz rail line connects the capital with
the northern city of Dashoguz. The new rail line is expected
to dramatically reduce the time and distance traveled between
Ashgabat and Dashoguz from 22 hours to 8 hours at a speed of
roughly 80km an hour (Note: The previous rail line was a
winding route that took travelers through Uzbekistan while
this new route is a straight shot through the desert. It
currently takes around 10-11 hours to drive from Ashgabat to
Dashoguz and 55 minutes to fly the same distance - for 60,000
manat/approx. $2.50 for a roundtrip ticket. End Note.)


3. (U) Construction on the rail line began in 2000 and cost
approximately two billion dollars. The railway line is
expected to boost cargo transit and trade between Europe,
Central Asia, and South Asia, according to the official
press. The new railway line is part of an overall GOTX
scheme to overhaul the country's rail system and replace
aging trains with new modern Chinese-built trains. The new
line was built to exclude travel into Uzbekistan via the
Soviet system and reduce the smuggling of LNG and other
products. The GOTX has also reported that the line was built
to support construction of the controversial Altyn Asyr
desert lake scheduled for completion in 2020. The train
taking the dip corps to the inauguration event was a Chinese
built copy of the standard Soviet overnight trains (only with
more plastic in its interior),with amenities similar to the
second-class "kupe" class, though with smaller, thinner beds
and "Turkish toilets." Despite being heralded as a new
modern train, the brakes were well-worn and rusted.

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ROAD TRIP!!!
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4. (C) Ashgabat's diplomatic corps arrived at Ashgabat's
central train station at around 0650 and were greeted by
hundreds of school children lining the roads nearby who had
previously been bussed to the site to meet President Niyazov,
who would also be traveling on the train. (Note: Conoff
approached some of the students and asked how long they had
been standing there. The students, clearly shocked that
someone would talk to them, declined to answer as their
teacher, also visibly surprised, stood nearby. End Note.)
After exchanging pleasantries and jokes about the upcoming
adventure, the dip corps was unceremoniously escorted to the
train cabins and placed in their respective cabins. After
awaiting the president's arrival, the train departed as
throngs of students, railway workers, and plainclothes
security officials waived us off.


5. (C) As the train trundled into the Garagum Desert at a
breakneck speed of 35 miles per hour, strategically placed
horse riders, school children, and railway workers, some
standing nowhere near any particular sign of civilization,
waived the train on its way north. Smartly dressed
waitresses passed through the cabins offering drinks, snacks,
and badges emblazed with Niyazov's image which we were told
not to forget to wear. As the train passed through several
rural train stations, throngs of students greeted the train
holding flags, Niyazov portraits and placards extolling the
Great Leader.


6. (C) After a costly card game involving two bottles of

ASHGABAT 00000313 002 OF 003


cognac and an empty Consular officer wallet, Conoff asked
cabin mate Kazakh Ambassador Murat Atanov his impressions
about serving in Turkmenistan. Atanov admitted that working
with the GOTX was by far the most difficult foreign
government in his career. He said that Astana was very
concerned about the closure of Kazakh language schools in
Turkmenistan, and noted that most ethnic Kazakhs had
immigrated to Kazakhstan. He added that while at first it
was easy for ethnic-Kazakhs to immigrate back to the
motherland, specifically to Almaty and Astana, most
ethnic-Kazakhs now remained in Western Kazakhstan, near the
Turkmenistani border, since the Kazakhstani government could
no longer afford to cover resettlement costs in the major
cities.


7. (C) Conoff informed Ambassador Atanov that the USG was
very concerned with the GOTX's treatment of all ethnic
minorities. Conoff also said that the embassy was actively
involved in trying to provide educational opportunities to
Turkmenistani students by facilitating their travel to
universities in the United States and the American University
of Central Asia in Bishkek.


8. (C) As the train continued its slow and painful journey
north, television crews passed through the cabins to film
smiling ambassadors enjoying their trip. Several of them,
including Chinese Ambassador Guicheng Lu, Russian Charge
Andreiy Krutko, and others gave saccharine praise to Niyazov
and his latest achievement. During his interview, Father
Andrzej Madej of the Apostolic Nunciature praised the GOTX
for giving the people yet another place to socialize, travel,
and pray.

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WE'RE HERE, BUT WHERE IS HERE?
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9. (C) Five hours after we departed, the train arrived in
Ichoguz, an isolated hamlet midway between Ashgabat and
Dashoguz in the middle of the Garagum desert to a throng of
hundreds of students and villagers, bussed in to greet the
president/train. After being ushered into a tent, the dip
corps waited about half an hour before Niyazov appeared, gave
a 20 minute speech praising the heroic railway workers for
building yet another testament to the greatness of the Golden
Century of Turkmenistan, and handed out prizes to several
officials (a television, medal, and fifty dollars). As
Niyazov was speaking, the assembled crowd began another round
of orchestrated chanting of praise to Niyazov. Krutko,
sitting next to Conoff, suggested that the chanting was for
Niyazov's alleged body double that he uses for public
appearances. After Niyazov's appearance, he briefly
approached the assembled dip corps, thanked them for coming,
and joked that after Ambassador Lu's recently published
interview about China's relations with Turkmenistan, girls
from all over were calling the GOTX trying to find out Lu's
phone number. (Note: A small group of Chinese diplomats
and/or businessmen accompanied Lu during the trip. End
Note.)


10. (C) As Niyazov helicoptered away, condemning the dip
corps to another five hour train ride without the Great
Leader, the dip corps was escorted to a lunch with vodka and
pleasantries flowing at equal speed. Among some of the more
interesting toasts was a toast by Ambassador Lu praising
developing Chinese-Turkmenistani relations in the
transportation sphere, with Krutko adding "And not just in
transportation." A somewhat inebriated Uzbek Ambassador
Alisher Kadyrov, while attempted to refill his colleagues'
shot glasses, praised the rail line's construction as a vital
addition to Turkmenistan's development to a very sober
Foreign Minister Meredov. As the dip corps made its way back
to the train, British Ambassador Peter Butcher, Georgian
Ambassador Alexei Petriashvili, and Romanian Charge Silviu
Domian exchanged gossip about the latest "gift" prominent
Turkish businessman Ahmet Calik (who was also in attendance)
gave to Niyazov-an armored car rumored to be worth one
million dollars. (Note: Conoff saw what appeared to be a new
car covered under a tarp and sitting on a nearby truck. End
Note.) Throughout the entire stop in Ichoguz, the bussed in
masses performed a non-stop concert of singing and dancing,
with no spectators in sight. Conoff managed to briefly speak
to some of the performers/audience who told him that they had
been bussed to the station four hours before the train's
arrival.

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FINDING SAFE HAVEN AMONG OUR ALLIES
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ASHGABAT 00000313 003 OF 003



11. (C) With the president gone, their official demands
completed, and the train returning back to Ashgabat (again at
an agonizing 35 miles per hour),most of the dip corps
retired to their respective cabins for libations and
merriment. Conoff successfully found a safe haven with the
Romanian Charge Domian (who was very eager to get off the
train) and Father Madej who shared his thoughts about his 10
years spent in Turkmenistan. According to Father Madej, he
has seen a continuous degradation in the overall situation in
Turkmenistan, noting that the people here by and large are
more and more frustrated with daily life. Despite the
hardships, Madej said that he hoped to continue working in
Turkmenistan "as a priest not as a politician" until he --
Madej -- died.


12. (C) Georgian Ambassador Petriashvili joined Conoff's
group. Noting the upcoming presidential elections in
Belarus, Conoff asked Ambassador Petriashvili his views about
the recent deportation of Georgian MPs from Belarus and about
popular Georgian singer Valeriy Meladze performing in
concerts supporting President Lukashenko. Petriashvili was
angry with the MPs deportation and scoffed at the Lukashenko
regime's "excuse" that the MP's were there to instigate
revolution and civil unrest. He referred to Meladze as a
"pig-bastard" who sold out to Lukashenko for money. He
reassured Conoff that "America can count on its Georgian
friends." Finally, after almost 12 hours on the rails, the
weary dip corps arrived back in Ashgabat to waiting families,
colleagues, and a much needed Marine House St. Patrick's Day
party.

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COMMENT: "IT'S GOOD TO BE DA KING"
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13. (C) The inauguration of the Ashgabat-Garagum-Dashoguz
railway line represents several things. The completion of a
north-south line entirely within Turkmenistan's borders is a
vital transportation line that will significantly contribute
to developing the infrastructure of the vast, desolate, and
under developed Garagum desert, while cutting down on the
transportation time and the cost of moving goods and people
from north to south. The inauguration also underlined
China's increasing presence in Turkmenistan's infrastructure,
moving from gas exploitation, to improving Turkmenistan's
telephone and railway systems.


14. (C) Most vividly however, is that the inauguration
celebration once again showed the GOTX's ability to draw a
crowd to reinforce the Potemkin village image that everyone
flocks to celebrate the latest achievement in the Golden
Century of the Turkmen People. Although the diplomatic
corps' presence is not overtly obligatory (unless you don't
want any diplomatic requests answered for a couple of weeks),
the penalty for absenteeism amongst Turkmenistani citizens is
unquestionably more severe. Mel Brooks said it best: "It's
good to be da king." END COMMENT.

JACOBSON
JACOBSON