Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ASHGABAT862
2006-08-11 09:13:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

LT GENERAL EIKENBERRY VISIT TO TURKMENISTAN

Tags:  PGOV PREL TX 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7810
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHAH #0862/01 2230913
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 110913Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7676
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
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
-------

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