TURKMENISTAN: MOVEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001300 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, NEA/SCA/EX, M/A/OPR/OS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT ASCH TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MOVEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ISSUE ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) The Government of Turkmenistan has decided to support the registration of the Quality Schools International-run (QSI) Ashgabat International School. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashit Meredov called in the Charge November 29 to pass the news that "the government is ready to work on resolving this issue." Meredov said this would involve a multi-step process. The first step would be a meeting between the Embassy and the Ministry of Education (MOE), where the Ministry would explain what documents might be needed in order for the school to receive proper status in Turkmenistan. He also indicated that MOE could also lay out some requirements, including possibly a Turkmen History course. Following that, the next step would be a meeting with the Ashgabat mayor's office. Meredov said MFA would organize the meeting with MOE and get back to the Embassy within a few days regarding timing. ¶3. (SBU) Meredov said both the Embassy and State Department officials had raised this issue numerous times. He said registering the school would be mutually beneficial to both sides. In addition to the U.S. Embassy, other embassies and businesses send their children there, and regularizing the status of the international school is important to those families as well. ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: This is good news. Registration will allow the school to expand its facilities and take in more students. It is already bursting at the seams. With more and more companies interested in doing business in Turkmenistan (and with others that are already here planning to expand operations) the expatriate community is destined to grow. Nevertheless, while we want to promote the school's interests and facilitate this process, QSI is a private company, and it will be up to them to decide if any proposed requirements are acceptable. END COMMENT. CURRAN