TAJIKISTAN: FOREIGN MINISTER AGREES TO TRY TO HELP RESOLVE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000669 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FORSCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/12/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PROP PTER ECON KAWC RS TI SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: FOREIGN MINISTER AGREES TO TRY TO HELP RESOLVE OUTSTANDING DETAINEE ISSUE REF: DUSHANBE 0465 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy Dushanbe. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) DETAINEE ISSUE ¶1. (S) Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov agreed to designate a government point of contact to help resolve the issue of transferring Tajik citizens from Guantanamo to Tajikistan (reftel). In a 40-minute meeting April 6, Nazarov listened carefully as the Ambassador explained the assurances necessary, including post-return access by the United States or a third party, for the United States to release a detainee. Nazarov agreed to be helpful but gave a heads-up that it could take some time, since the access requirement would need interagency coordination. Though it was clear he was not fully serious, Nazarov commented that Tajikistan did not necessarily want "those kinds of people" back. Since they were detained most likely in Afghanistan, they likely had at least some kind of affiliation with extremist elements. CEMENT FOR THE BRIDGE AND SANCTITY OF CONTRACTS ¶2. (C) Nazarov listened with concern about the renewed shortage of cement for the U.S.-funded bridge construction site at Nizhniy Pyanzh. The Ambassador noted that Presidential Economic Advisor Davlatov had to intervene in February for the state-owned cement company to resume its contractual deliveries to the bridge site, and that the company was now seeking to increase the price of cement by 50 percent, despite the contract. Nazarov volunteered that the Tajik government well understands the sanctity of contracts because the Turkish construction company building Dushanbe's new water park in 2004 tried to increase the price by $4 million, and then finally absconded with $1 million in city government funds, leaving the water park site a raw and gaping embarrassment. The Ambassador gave Nazarov a copy of the current contract with Tojik Cement. STILL LOOKING FOR DEBT RELIEF ¶3. (C) Regarding the upcoming visit of a delegation of top Tajik decision-makers and others who are influential to Washington for the World Bank/IMF meetings, Nazarov said President Rahmonov had asked him to query the Ambassador whether a formal request for meetings with U.S officials was needed. The Ambassador assured Nazarov the meetings would be arranged with his verbal request. Nazarov indicated the delegation would again raise the issue of debt relief. "FASCISM IN RUSSIA" ¶4. (C) In the context of a discussion of recent articles published in the Russian press about U.S. "designs" on Tajikistan and an inflammatory but likely faked kompromat interview with RusAl head Oleg Deripaska, Nazarov observed soberly that today's Russia seems almost fascist. "I lived there for ten years, and they were never like that," he remarked. "I never noticed such hatred and xenophobia as there is now." He noted the recent visit to China by Russian President Putin indicated that Russia "changed its friends easily." (COMMENT: Despite Moscow's increasing bear-hug, thoughtful Tajiks, like the foreign minister, remain cautious about Russia. Skinheads and other criminals who murder Tajiks in Russia and then get off relatively lightly continue to evoke DUSHANBE 00000669 002 OF 002 both dismay and outrage in Tajikistan. END COMMENT.) ¶5. (SBU) On the way out, Nazarov joked that local media coverage of the Ambassador was usually good, and frequent. "You must be doing a good job," he smiled. HOAGLAND