INDIA KEEPING AN EYE OPEN FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 006582 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2026 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KISL MARR AF UZ TI TX KZ KG IN SUBJECT: INDIA KEEPING AN EYE OPEN FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN CENTRAL ASIA NEW DELHI 00006582 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: MEA Joint Secretary for Eurasia Jaimini Bhagwati argued that India's role as an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a useful opportunity to help the organization set reasonable priorities. Bhagwati expressed interest in cooperating with the U.S. on technical issues and determining the feasibility of energy projects. On the issue of energy for the region, Bhagwati said that Central Asia needs to diversify its relationships. He outlined some projects the GOI has undertaken in the region, including a joint military and air base project in Tajikistan. He also said that, while leaders in Central Asia are concerned by the encroachment of the Taliban and the potential for Islamic extremism, the area is not likely to shift suddenly to fundamentalist Islam. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- India Sees Its Role in the SCO as Non-controversial -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) PolCouns met with Joint Secretary for Eurasia Bhagwati on Sep. 20. Turning immediately to the SCO, Bhagwati said that the organization hasn't thought through the role that observer nations should have. India became an observer in the organization last year, and is enthusiastic, he said, about the potential for economic exchanges, investment, and energy and transportation projects. When the SCO works on non-controversial issues such as narco-trafficking and counter-terrorism, India is "happy to be a part of it," said Bhagwati. He stressed that India's relationship with Central Asia is bilateral. "It is easy for India to 'piggy-back' off of what is already happening in the SCO." Future projects with the organization depend upon how the six member countries see the group evolving, he said. The security of transmission lines through a still-to-be-determined electrical corridor is of critical importance to India, according to Bhagwati. -------------- - Energy and Military Projects with Central Asia -------------- - ¶3. (C) Bhagwati said that Central Asia needs to diversify its commercial relationships in order to meet its energy needs and supply the needs of others in the region. He indicated that India invests somewhat in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, and has cultural centers in Uzbekistan. The only capital he hasn't yet visited in the region is Ashgebat, he said, and he plans to visit in October. ¶4. (C) At the request of Tajikistan, the GOI is helping to re-build a runway at Gissar Airport in Ayni, as well as training army and air force personnel. The airport had been "in a shambles," but the new runway is almost complete. Bhagwati said that the military training program includes a language lab in the heart of Dushanbe and IT training. He indicated that the GOI may look at other requests for assistance from the GOT. He said the GOT had also asked for helicopters, but after providing two, the GOI "doesn't have any more to spare." -------------- Coordination with the U.S. -------------- ¶5. (C) The GOI would like to see more coordination with the U.S. on technical issues, Bhagwati said, and is interested in seeing engineer's assessments and feasibility studies. An economist trained at MIT, Bhagwati said that he had seen a NEW DELHI 00006582 002.2 OF 002 lot of reports from the U.S., but would like to see ones that are "grounded in reality" and that cover technical issues, such as where electrical transmission lines could go, their height, and so on. He felt that the GOI doesn't have a good sense of what the U.S. is doing in Central Asia on energy, and welcomed the opportunity to collaborate. PolCouns offered that DAS Evan Feigenbaum will visit in October to further explore how to work together on such issues. ¶6. (C) Bhagwati indicated that the GOI is collaborating in Dushanbe with an engineering firm called "Eurasia Link," which he says is owned by an American who is fluent in Russian. The firm asked for access of equipment from India, according to Bhagwati, who said, "we want to help them have a bigger effect." -------------- Extremism Not an Issue -------------- ¶6. (C) Bhagwati opined that, while the encroachment of the Taliban and the drug trade is of concern in the region, there is no reason to assume that the area will fall prey to Islamic extremism any time soon. Majority Sunni Muslims in the region are "very relaxed," he said, noting that the tenets of Islam are not adhered to as closely as they are in other parts of the world. He said that political leaders don't want a sudden shift to Islamic fundamentalism, and that "no one wants to see women in Burkas or the chopping off of hands." In fact, women hold senior positions in government in Central Asia and their literacy levels are high, according to Bhagwati--part of the legacy of Soviet rule. He said there are joint working groups on counter-terrorism in the region that share and exchange information on a regular basis. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Bhagwati predictably portrayed the SCO and India's role in it as benign. He has traveled extensively in Central Asia, and assesses the likelihood of rapid encroachment by Islamic fundamentalists as remote. Others in the GOI have presented a more alarmist view, focusing on the Taliban's influence in every country on Afghanistan's borders. Bhagwati presents himself as a future go-to guy for working with the U.S. on broader energy policy issues in Central Asia, and looks forward to greater coordination. MULFORD