Turkmenistan and Afghanistan Twice Talk on the Border, with

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ASHGABAT 000459

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY); INL (BUHLER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SNAR PINR KIPR PREL AF TX
SUBJECT: Turkmenistan and Afghanistan Twice Talk on the Border, with
a Little Help from their Friends


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


1. (SBU) Embassy staff met with border and counternarcotics
officials from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan during a first ever
multilateral meeting with U.S. Embassy Kabul representatives at the
Aquina border crossing checkpoint in Afghanistan on April 9. The
following week, embassy staff participated in a cross-border
integrated border management workshop on Turkmenistan's side of the
border with representatives from both governments. Both discussions
shared similar objectives for encouraging cross-border
communication, information sharing and training. The Afghanistanis
were both enthusiastic and optimistic about the benefits of
increased cooperation, as were the working-level Turkmenistan
participants. However, while senior-level government of
Turkmenistan officials proved to be friendly in side conversations,
they provided little more than high-level window dressing during the
meetings. End Summary.

The Road to Afghanistan
--------------


2. (SBU) Embassy staff, and Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister of
National Security, Agajan Pashiyev, traveled to the U.S. Central
Command-funded border crossing checkpoint project at Imam Nazar on
April 9. The Government of Turkmenistan cleared all formal border
zone checkpoints for the embassy delegation and twice hosted the
delegation to meals en route to and from the border with
Afghanistan. (Comment: Embassy vehicles passed unimpeded through
checkpoints that have historically delayed the journey by up to 30
minutes. End Comment.) During breakfast, Pashiyev was cordial and
responsive to questions regarding basic border information.
Pashiyev said that he had worked at the Serhetabad checkpoint, the
second of two checkpoints shared with Afghanistan, and he confirmed
what post had heard anecdotally about reduced vehicular traffic and
contraband seizures during the last couple of years. Pashiyev
credited the professionalism of officials working in Serhetabad with
the success. (Note: The U.K. Embassy completed construction of an
enhanced checkpoint at Serhetabad in late 2004, which included
additional equipment purchased by the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) with USG funds. End Note.)

A Small Gathering in Afghanistan
--------------


3. (SBU) Turkmenistan's Consul General in Mazar-e Sharif met embassy
staff and Pashiyev at the border for an expeditious crossing to
Afghanistan. Joining the delegation from Turkmenistan were
Afghanistan-based Border Management Task Force (BMTF) officials,
Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and INL
Military and Civilian Police Mentors, German Police Project Office
(GPPO),and local Afghanistani and Aquina checkpoint officials.
Local political representatives opened the standing-room-only
meeting (approximately 25 people) with laudatory remarks for their
neighbor, Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan provides low-cost energy to
northern Afghanistan and hosted Afghan refugees during the Taliban
regime. The officials also noted a positive current border
relationship and said that the Aquina checkpoint was the only border
point that remained open with Turkmenistan during 25 years of war.
The need for development of an independent Afghanistan, the official
said, hinged on continued assistance from the international
community, and included a request for infrastructure, equipment and
training. The Government of Turkmenistan neither offered
introductory remarks nor presented information on border management
in Turkmenistan, although both officials from Turkmenistan took
copious notes. Pashiyev's only participation was when he asked the
Afghanistan-based U.S. border management official to provide more
detailed information about plans to launch ground sensors and mobile
units along Afghanistan's borders.

International Assistance Afghanistan's Borders
-------------- -


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4. (SBU) During the ensuing brief but comprehensive working meeting,
the U.S. and German border management officials working in
Afghanistan shared the overall border enhancement program for
Afghanistan. They described a new border police strategy based on
mobile interdiction units. Stressing the reality of a gradual
timeline, the ultimate goal was to string the border with ground
sensors and have the mobile units respond to sensor stimuli. The
border with Turkmenistan was considered relatively secure, and
Aquina is number 8 out of 14 national border crossing points in
terms of customs revenue. Supplementing the requisite
infrastructure and equipment, the BMTF in Afghanistan is presenting
a new Border Police Advance Training Plan that will complement the
new mobile interdiction strategy. The bottom line, there will be
more officers that are better trained on the borders over the course
of the next 1 1/2 to 2 years.

Cross-border Opportunities
--------------


5. (SBU) The BMTF/GPPO officers clearly communicated steps forward
in cross-border dialogue and cooperation with Turkmenistan. In
regard to cooperative work, the successful Tajikistan-Afghanistan
cross-border liaison officer exchange program was introduced as a
way to improve information sharing. In addition, Embassy Ashgabat's
proposed project to improve communication between Imam Nazar and the
capital Ashgabat with the possibility of extending the network
across the border to the Aquina station was well-received by the
delegates. Both were considered potential first steps toward
enhanced cross-border security.

Cross-Border Training at Imam Nazar
--------------


6. (SBU) Following on the heels of the meeting in Aquina, the UNODC
in Ashgabat hosted an embassy-initiated integrated border management
workshop at Imam Nazar for officers from both Turkmenistan and
Afghanistan, April 16-18. Deputy Ministers for Customs and Internal
Affairs represented Turkmenistan during the conference opening and
Deputy Chief of Mission in Ashgabat Muhammed Osman Seriara
represented Afghanistan. Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister for
Customs, Amanmamed Muhamedkuliev, made some cursory remarks
regarding Turkmenistan's geographical location next to Afghanistan
and noted an existing positive relationship; he did not provide any
specific examples. Muhamedkuliev thanked the U.S. Government
several times in his brief speech for the new building under
construction at the checkpoint. First Deputy Minister for Internal
Affairs Batyrmuhammed Aymyradov declined to speak. In contrast,
Seriara spoke highly of Afghanistan's neighbor, thanked Turkmenistan
for the inexpensive supply of electricity and welcomed the
opportunity for expanded cross-border training and cooperation. All
three senior officials left at the close of the opening remarks.


7. (SBU) Afghanistan's Deputy Chief of the Counternarcotics Police,
Colonel Amanullah Wahidi, and Chief of the Afghanistan Border Police
in Aquina, Captain Pir Mohammed Alkoziy, along with Turkmenistan's
regional, district and checkpoint officers representing the State
Border Service, State Customs Service, the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and the Ministry of National Security attended the three-day
working-level workshop. Highlighting the course was Colonel
Wahidi's unscheduled remarks on the first day outlining the need for
cooperation. Despite the spartan conditions and mid-afternoon time
slot, Wahidi commanded the undivided attention of every Turkmenistan
official present when he read out statistical information and spoke
frankly about the narcotics situation in Afghanistan. Wahidi's
presentation even elicited unsolicited questions from Turkmenistan's
participants.

Turkmenistan: Improve Internal Checkpoint Functions
-------------- --------------


8. (SBU) The high-water mark for the conference came during the
final discussion session when the UNODC representative in Ashgabat
put the participants from Turkmenistan on the spot to identify areas

ASHGABAT 00000459 003 OF 004


for future cooperation with Afghanistan and internal areas of
improvement at Turkmenistan's border crossing checkpoints. Most
notable for future project development was the working officials'
view that internal reorganization at the checkpoints was needed.
For example, participants could not identify the lead agency at the
border crossing checkpoints, although by consensus they agreed it
must be the State Border Service because of the security element.
Turkmenistan's officials recognized key areas for improvement that
centered on too many agencies with redundant agendas (e.g. there are
three health-related agencies). There were calls for an interagency
coordination committee in Ashgabat and an expressed need for a
universal database that all agencies could use at each checkpoint.


Cross-border Viewpoints:
--------------


9. (SBU) In regard to how to improve cross-border security relations
between the countries, there were complementary concerns and
divergent views. Afghanistan's representatives asked for more
cross-border workshops with their Turkmenistan counterparts and for
the opportunity to have increased working-level discussions.
Turkmenistan's participants were eager to exchange more
counternarcotics information and looked for additional international
assistance to build modern border crossing checkpoints and learn
modern investigative methodologies on contraband interdiction.

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


10. (SBU) Regional: The two cross-border meetings were successful
first steps. The ultimate goal is for the international players to
work themselves out of their facilitator roles, but that is a long
way off. The Afghanistanis were consistently eager participants who
welcomed any dialogue on security, shared internal security
information and encouraged future expanded cooperation. The senior
Turkmenistani officials who participated at both events were much
less engaging. There was an interest in gathering information from
the Afghanistanis, but not an overt willingness to interact with
their counterparts. Deputy Minister Pashiyev even asked the
delegation to leave the Aquina Checkpoint just after one hour and
before eating the large lunch that had been prepared for the special
meeting. The delegation's premature departure would have been
insulting in both cultures. At this point, the Government of
Turkmenistan appears to be willing to actively gather information
from Afghanistan, but only to passively engage in establishing a
bilateral cross-border working relationship that includes
information sharing.


11. (SBU) Turkmenistan-centric: The conference solidified what
embassy officers have long suspected and confirmed during the two
border crossing checkpoint projects: there are too many stove-piped
ministries working on Turkmenistan's borders. Relevant information
is compartmentalized by each ministry with a deleterious impact on
border management. Steps forward for U.S. engagement must include a
commitment on the part of the Government of Turkmenistan to remedy
the border management problem and share relevant border information.
The embassy has long argued that the projects are not just about
infrastructure, but about facilitating a comprehensive approach to
improved border management. There needs to be a demonstrated
senior-level commitment from Turkmenistan that the government is
willing to cooperate openly. Options available to the government
include:

--Sharing specific narcotics seizure data, not just year-end
numbers, but successive events throughout the year (that mostly
occur in border areas);

-- Declarative information on the function of each agency involved
in counternarcotics efforts, and who has the ultimate authority at
the border;

-- Internal review of border crossing checkpoint organization and

ASHGABAT 00000459 004.2 OF 004


function with a commitment toward reform.


12. (SBU) The Imam Nazar station is scheduled to open on August 13.
Embassy Ashgabat is tentatively planning to host representatives of
the Nevada Congressional Delegation, Department of State and CENTCOM
representatives, as well as high-level delegations from the
Governments of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Embassy will continue
to emphasize the need to develop cross-border cooperation and to
seek additional resources to develop relevant programs. End
Comment.

BRUSH