LT GENERAL EIKENBERRY VISIT TO TURKMENISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000862 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY) E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL TX SUBJECT: LT GENERAL EIKENBERRY VISIT TO TURKMENISTAN Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. Brush and Major Padraig Cl ark, Defense and Army Attache, E.O. 12958, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Commander, CFC-A met with Minister of Defense, Chief of the State Border Service and Chief of State Civil Aviation Service. The Minister of Defense and Chief of the State Border Service provided a short summary of Turkmenistan support for Afghanistan and questioned why, after five years, the United States had not stemmed the flow of narcotics from Afghanistan. The Civil Aviation chief expressed appreciation for U.S. efforts to recover the remains of Turkmen nationals from an Afghan helicopter crash site, and, for now, avoided any attempt to assign blame for the helicopter accident. End Summary. -------------- MINISTRY OF DEFENSE -------------- ¶2. (C) Minister of Defense Agageldi Mammetgeldiyev explained to LTG Eikenberry that Turkmenistan enjoyed friendly ties with all of its neighbors and praised U.S. and NATO efforts to bring democracy and stability to Afghanistan. However, Mammetgeldiyev noted that despite the presence of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, terrorist acts continued in the country while drug trafficking from Afghanistan through its neighbors (not through Turkmenistan, of course) was worse than it was during Taliban rule. "Why haven't you solved these problems?" he uncharacteristically directly asked LTG Eikenberry. ¶3. (C) LTG Eikenberry equally directly reminded Mammetgeldiyev to consider the fact that 13 years of Soviet occupation and 10 years of Taliban rule ravaged Afghanistan and its people. In 2002, only 20 percent of the male population was literate and there was no infrastructure, no electricity, hospitals and schools. Five years later (and thanks to USG efforts),Afghanistan's health, energy and educational infrastructures were developing and the country had a democratically elected president and parliament. ¶4. (C) LTG Eikenberry added that U.S. and NATO forces were training and developing Afghanistan's army, while the Combined Security Transition Command is training the National Police. However, this would be a long and difficult process since there was a strong focus on inculcating values and rule of law training, which would make the recruits loyal to rule of law, and not to the leader of any particular faction. This in the long run would help strengthen Afghanistan's ability to become a stable and democratic country. Should this fail, Afghanistan would once again become a regional threat to its neighbors, including to Turkmenistan. ¶5. (C) According to State Border Service Chairman, General Lieutenant Orazberdi Soltanov, the Government of Afghanistan did little to cooperate with Turkmenistan on border security issues. According to Soltanov, "the problem is that everyone over seven years old there carries a gun." Soltanov expressed concern with Afghan-based narcotics trafficking, since he believed that "where there is drug trafficking, there is also terrorism." He added that Turkmenistan provided discounted electricity to Afghanistan in the name of regional cooperation. ¶6. (C) LTG Eikenberry expressed his gratitude to the Government of Turkmenistan for providing electricity and natural gas to Afghanistan and shared Soltanov's concern about the growing links between drug trafficking and terrorism. He said that there was already evidence of low-level cooperation between terrorists and drug traffickers, which only underscored the need for the U.S. and NATO to stay the course. LTG Eikenberry explained that the U.S. Army had only begun police training, including for border police, a year ago and reminded Soltanov that the training of a highly skilled and efficient police force took time, especially in a country with Afghanistan's problems. ¶7. (C) Switching to mil-to-mil cooperation, Mammetgeldiyev expressed gratitude for the many USG training programs for Turkmenistan's officers, which has helped improve the army's effectiveness. He pointed to MOD Liaison Officer Begench Gundogdiyev as proof of the effectiveness of the IMET program and noted Gundogdiyev was leaving the next day to take up his duties as Turkmenistan's first Defense Attache to the United States. Soltanov expressed gratitude for the USG donated equipment and training programs for border guards, which had improved the State Border Service's abilities to protect ASHGABAT 00000862 002 OF 002 Turkmenistan's border. LTG Eikenberry agreed, and twice asked for Mammetgeldiyev's specific suggestions further exchange opportunities. Mammetgeldiyev dodged the question, stating that Turkmenistan was interested in considering all programs. (Comment: Turkmenistan is proud of "never asking for assistance," from the United States or anyone else. Any U.S. assistance provided to Turkmenistan is the result of a U.S. assessment of Turkmenistan's needs and encouraging Turkmenistan to accept our assistance. End Comment.) ¶8. (C) Noting the ongoing construction of two USG-funded border checkpoints on the Iranian and Afghan borders, Charge asked Soltanov if he could discuss any cross-border cooperation efforts. While Soltanov declined to answer, Mammetgeldiyev stated cooperation amounted to the return of stray livestock or repair work on power lines. Mammetgeldiyev added that Turkmenistan's border guards not only protected Turkmenistan, but Afghanistan and Iran as well; "they should pay us for protecting their borders," he said. -------------- CIVIL AVIATION SERVICE -------------- ¶9. (C) During a meeting with National Civil Aviation Service Chief Baymurad Bayryev, LTG Eikenberry thanked Bayryev for Turkmenistan's cooperation with respect to operations in Afghanistan. He also expressed appreciation for the Foreign Minister's letter thanking U.S. military forces for their efforts to reach and recover the remains of Turkmenistani personnel killed in the January 2006 helicopter crash in Afghanistan, noting that the effort to recover the crew's bodies had taken place under very tough conditions. Bayryev, responding in broken English, noted the Civil Aviation Service's "happiness" with providing overflight and refueling services; and, referring to the helicopter accident, stressed that the aviation service took safety seriously. When LTG Eikenberry offered to answer any questions about the overall coalition mission in Afghanistan, Bayryev said he had none to ask. Bayryev also told LTG Eikenberry that Turkmenistan has no plans to extend commercial airline service to Afghanistan. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (C) Although the Turkmenistan MOD and SBS understood that building an infrastructure and support system for the security of Afghanistan was difficult, they pretended not to comprehend the destructive roles the Soviet Union and the Taliban played in rendering Afghanistan dysfunctional. In fact, the Government of Turkmenistan had recognized and actively traded with the Taliban regime following the withdrawal of Soviet forces. Further, neither Mammetgeldiyev nor Soltanov appeared affected by the comment that a major part of the training for the Afghanistan military and police was adherence to rule of law rather than to an individual leader. Of course, just the opposite is true in Turkmenistan. ¶11. (C) COMMENT Continued. The Civil Aviation Service meeting was significant for what was not said about the crash. Given the opportunity to discuss the helicopter accident in detail with LTG Eikenberry, Bayryev decided not to engage. Bayryev likely is desperate to assign blame for the crash on anyone except the pilots or the lethargic government request for assistance. Turkmenistan's "investigation" of the crash probably will continue, but not in any way that would assign any responsibility for the crash -- or for care of the victims families -- to the Government of Turkmenistan. End Comment. BRUSH