BLANKET OVERFLIGHT APPROVED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001281 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2017 TAGS: PREL EAIR MARR MCAP MOPS US TX SUBJECT: BLANKET OVERFLIGHT APPROVED REF: A. ASHGABAT 1255 ¶B. SECSTATE 158849 Classified By: CHARGE SYLVIA REED CURRAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) The Government of Turkmenistan has agreed to renew the blanket overflight and landing clearance request number 999C that had been due to expire November 30. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashit Meredov called in the Charge to deliver this news. Meredov said the present procedure of annual renewal, informing MFA by diplomatic note that the transits are for humanitarian purposes, should continue. He said this has served both countries for many years, and there is no need to change. The only request, said Meredov, is that the number of future flights should remain approximately the same as it has been in the last couple of years. He said the Embassy would receive a diplomatic note within a few days detailing this information. ¶2. (C) Turning to the issue of medical flights, Meredov said his government did not see why blanket approval was necessary, given the possibility of obtaining medical care in Turkmenistan. (NOTE: The Embassy had been informed at the same time as the notice regarding military flights, by separate diplomatic note, that the annual blanket clearance for medical flights would also be subject to the same requirement to ask for permission for overflight and landing for each flight. END NOTE.) Therefore, he said, landing clearance for those flights should be sought on a case-by-case basis. He assured they would be approved within 24 hours. Charge countered that medical flights are only necessary for emergency cases, and 24 hours could be too long a delay when a life is at stake. She said single requests for flights could be acceptable, but that approval would be needed within a few hours. Meredov agreed that MFA would respond to requests for landing clearance for medical flights within a few hours. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Meredov had come immediately from a meeting with President Berdimuhamedov, so we can be assured that this decision to continue with blanket overflights has the blessing from on high. Better heads prevailed on this issue, realizing how important these flights are not only for the success of Operation Enduring Freedom, but also for U.S.-Turkmenistan bilateral relations. END COMMENT. CURRAN