Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASHGABAT175
2007-02-09 11:29:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

EUR/ACE Adams' Visit: Turkmenistan's Newest

Tags:  EAID PGOV PHUM SNAR KIPR PREL TX US 
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FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8367
INFO RUCNOSC/OSCE POST COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1841
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0584
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0451
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000175 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY); INL (BUHLER); EUR/ACE (MCKANE)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM SNAR KIPR PREL TX US
SUBJECT: EUR/ACE Adams' Visit: Turkmenistan's Newest
Border-Crossing Checkpoint Station

Summary
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000175

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY); INL (BUHLER); EUR/ACE (MCKANE)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM SNAR KIPR PREL TX US
SUBJECT: EUR/ACE Adams' Visit: Turkmenistan's Newest
Border-Crossing Checkpoint Station

Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) U.S. government security assistance delegates visiting
Turkmenistan January 31-February 2 met with law-enforcement
donor-community members from several international organizations and
diplomatic missions for a discussion that quickly focused on
border-security issues, specifically border-crossing checkpoints.
The discussion proved a relevant prelude to the February 2 trip to
the newly-constructed U.S.-funded border-crossing checkpoint station
at Altyn Asyr in Balkan Welayat (province) on the Iranian border.
The drive through the foothills of the Kopet Dag mountain range
separating Iran from Turkmenistan proved to be equal parts beautiful
and educational. End Summary.

Law Enforcement Donors Meeting
--------------


2. (SBU) During a specially scheduled law-enforcement donors-group
meeting on February 1, several members of EUR/ACE Coordinator
Adams's delegation visiting Turkmenistan met with local
representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC),Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
International Organization for Migration, European Union Border
Management for Central Asia- Central Asia Drug Management Program
(BOMCA-CADAP),and embassy security assistance officers for the
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) program
and the Nevada National Guard program. (Note: Post's Export Control
and Related Border Security Program (EXBS) manager was traveling.
End Note.) The informal meeting was an opportunity to share
information about current and planned projects in a concerted effort
to avoid redundancies, compare notes on successes and trends with
the host government, and plan future cooperative efforts with regard
to law enforcement programs in Turkmenistan. The donors' portfolios
are broad, but share commonalities in several areas, in particular,
law-enforcement training and equipping to enhance border security

and to combat narcotics trafficking.

Border Crossing Checkpoints
--------------


3. (SBU) Delegates learned about the USG's completed border-crossing
checkpoint project at Altyn Asyr, the current construction project
at the Imamnazar border-crossing checkpoint on the border with
Afghanistan, and the BOMCA-CADAP checkpoint project at Kone Urgench
on the border with Uzbekistan. The Altyn Asyr ($2.5 million) and
Imamnazar ($1.8) projects are funded by U.S Central Command 2005
supplemental funds; the Imamnazar project funding is supplemented by
Department of State 2005 project funds that were granted to UNODC
($600,000). Both of these are turnkey projects: when completed, the
stations are fully operational.


4. (SBU) The EU's BOMCA-CADAP construction project ($1.8 million)
is for infrastructure only and will require Government of
Turkmenistan funding to become operational. All donors agreed that
since, historically, pet project funds were granted by former
President Niyazov, it was now uncertain whether or how the 9 to 11
agencies working at border-crossing checkpoints would get requisite
funds to either construct an entire station or furnish a completed
building. (Note: Most ministries/agencies are self-financed and do
not receive funding from the national budget. End Note.) The UK
Embassy representative told of the challenges the UK faced to
complete the border station built at Serhetabad, along the Iranian
border, in 2004; additional funds had to be solicited from the
international community to complete the project.


5. (SBU) The donors and U.S. delegates discussed the need for a
two-pronged approach towards integrated border management. At the
international level, Turkmenistan needed to work cooperatively with
regional border-sharing neighbors to improve cross-border
communication. (Comment: Such cooperation is currently minimal.
End Comment.) At the national level, the Government of Turkmenistan
must develop integrated inter-agency working relations among the
many ministries and agencies located at the checkpoints. The UNODC
representative announced the government's tacit approval for an

ASHGABAT 00000175 002 OF 002


April cross-border conference between checkpoint officers working at
Imamnazar with their counterparts working across the border in
Afghanistan. The EU-BOMCA-CADAP representative said a previous
integrated internal border-management conference co-hosted by OSCE
was at first glance successful, but that few of the trained officers
at the conference were still working in their assigned positions.
All agreed many obstacles still need to be addressed.

Border Security Program in Action
--------------


6. (SBU) After a lengthy trip through the desert and along the
border with Iran, the delegation spent just an hour at the border
touring the new border station. Participants had expected to meet
the inter-agency commission scheduled to complete the handover from
the Nevada National Guard and contractor, but the commission arrived
just prior to the delegation's departure. Though local government
representatives expressed gratitude for the new facility, they
mostly remained in the shadows during the Turkish construction
contractor-hosted tour of the station. The group learned that the
Government of Turkmenistan still needed to complete an entry road
from the Iranian side to the station, and the parking area needed to
be paved one more time by the contractor, but the station was
otherwise ready for business.

Comment
--------------


7. (SBU) This trip to the Iran border was an opportunity to see the
final product of one of the USG's successful counter-narcotics
projects in Turkmenistan. Under discussion during the donors
meeting were three disparate results of international-community
projects for securing Turkmenistan's borders with border crossing
stations: European (build the infrastructure only); U.S. (provide a
turnkey facility); and British (insufficient funding to complete the
project.) The U.S. visitors saw that the law-enforcement donor
agencies in Turkmenistan knew each other's projects well and worked
together to coordinate efforts. All agreed that a higher level of
integration and sharing of project-participant lists and training
objectives were desirable next steps for the ad hoc group. All also
agreed that construction of the Imannazar station provided an
excellent opportunity to pursue increased border cooperation between
the Governments of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. End Comment.


BRUSH