MEJLIS SPEAKER WELCOMES DAS FEIGENBAUM'S OFFERS - BUT STOPS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000617 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN (NICOLAIDIS AND SNELSIRE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG PINR PREL PGOV TX US AF SUBJECT: MEJLIS SPEAKER WELCOMES DAS FEIGENBAUM'S OFFERS - BUT STOPS SHORT OF ACCEPTING INVITATION ASHGABAT 00000617 001.2 OF 002 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) As part of his visit to Ashgabat to press forward in the bilateral relationship since the inauguration of President Berdimuhammedov, Deputy Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum met on June 25 with Mejlis (Parliament) Speaker Akja Nurberdiyeva to discuss opportunities for cooperation between Turkmenistan's main legislative body and USG entities. In a step forward from recent meetings with embassy representatives, the speaker outlined several upcoming parliamentary initiatives aimed at strengthening local self-governance and increasing the Mejlis' contact with local populations. Although her description of planned activities closely resembled USAID's existing community empowerment program, she said the Mejlis planned to implement these programs in conjunction with the U.N. Development Program (UNDP). After saying that most of her deputies had already visited the United States on various exchanges, she still stopped short of responding to DAS Feigenbaum's question about whether she might be willing to visit the U.S. to learn more about the relationship between the executive and legislative branches. End Summary. SMALL STEPS TOWARDS DECENTRALIZATION -------------- ¶2. (U) SCA DAS Evan Feigenbaum met with Mejlis Speaker Akja Nurberdiyeva on June 25 to discuss recent developments and possible opportunities for cooperation. Noting President Berdimuhammedov's stated desire to "make things real" during their meeting earlier the same morning (septel),DAS Feigenbaum highlighted the importance of maintaining a multidimensional nature to the U.S.-Turkmenistan relationship, including in the area of political development and democratization. After a brief overview of the Mejlis' operations, Nurberdiyeva outlined a pilot local self-government program that was planned in conjunction with the UNDP. Explaining that her understanding of self-government entails both greater local autonomy for local officials on issues such as financing and budgeting as well as increased citizens' participation, she stated that the current challenge for the Mejlis was to find elected officials who could carry out the planned activities. Furthermore, if the previous relationship between hakimliks (Note: Appointed administrative local government structures. End Note.) and the Gengeshe (Note: Locally elected, but largely powerless, government bodies. End Note.) was like that of a supervisor and subordinate, she now hoped to change this into a "partnership." ¶3. (U) The Charge informed Nurberdiyeva that the planned activities closely resembled those already proposed by USAID's Community Empowerment Project, and expressed hope that Mejlis activities in this important area could be harmonized with USAID's efforts. (Comment: USAID submitted detailed information on this project to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 5, but neither USAID nor its implementing partner, Counterpart International, has yet to receive any feedback from the government. End Comment.) Nurberdiyeva noted that the first step in empowering local officials was to ensure that they understood the laws and their responsibilities. To this end, beginning in mid-July, the Mejlis planned to train all Gengesh members, and suggested possible cooperation through assistance in publishing brochures on existing legislation. SLOWLY CHANGING MEJLIS INTERACTIONS WITH CITIZENS -------------- -- ¶4. (U) In response to DAS Feigenbaum's description of the many ways in which the legislative branch interacts with its constituents in the U.S., including direct elections, constituent services, district offices, and internships for constituents, Nurberdiyeva said that various connections currently existed between Turkmenistan's ASHGABAT 00000617 002.2 OF 002 deputies and the public. One example was that deputies traveled back to their districts to meet with their constituents. Citizens were also able to connect with a Mejlis deputy, although not necessarily the representative from their district, if they came to the parliament building. While lacking office space for each member, common meeting rooms were available for use during such encounters. Additionally, Mejlis members held a call-in television show that addressed various aspects of legislation and civic issues. ¶5. (U) Quoting the maxim that "all politics are local," DAS Feigenbaum noted many new possibilities to link citizens to their local officials. Nurberdiyeva stated that Turkmenistan was "just in the early stages" and was trying to resolve this challenge by linking local officials to the Mejlis deputies. Reflecting her past work with, and interest in, education and youth issues, the speaker stressed the importance of an educated and informed population in this process, especially its role in nominating and selecting candidates for local office. ¶6. (SBU) Summarizing three areas of common interest, DAS Feigenbaum noted that the discussion had touched on local self-government, connecting citizens to the Mejlis, and elections. He suggested that opportunities for cooperation existed with ongoing USAID programs focused on local self-governance. In order to see how the U.S. Congress provided constituent services in both Washington, DC, and its local offices, he asked when the speaker and other delegates might be interested in visiting the United States. Nurberdiyeva responded that "We have many people who can go." Regarding elections, DAS Feigenbaum recalled his January meeting with Foreign Minister Meredov when they had discussed the prospect of OSCE support for a sequence of elections, including upcoming Mejlis elections. He encouraged the speaker to take advantage of the OSCE's expertise in this area. Finally, he suggested that internship programs were a good way to get youth involved in their government. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (U) The always engaging Speaker Nurberdiyeva was more expansive in her plans for the Mejlis than she has been in recent meetings with embassy visitors. She acknowledged the importance of education in developing an informed citizenry as well as to a local government that is able to respond to its citizens' needs. Significant opportunities exist to work with the Mejlis, an emerging entity in post-Niyazov Turkmenistan, and recent working-level meetings with selected Mejlis committee heads have demonstrated an interest on their part to learn more about the types of technical assistance the USG can offer. In order to move to the next step, embassy should submit concrete proposals for their review. End Comment. ¶8. DAS Feigenbaum has cleared this message. BRUSH