Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT1346
2008-10-10 10:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
SCHOLASTIC BOOKS DISCOVERS THE COMPLEXITIES OF
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001346
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018
TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD SCUL TX
SUBJECT: SCHOLASTIC BOOKS DISCOVERS THE COMPLEXITIES OF
ENTERING TURKMENISTAN'S BUSINESS MARKET
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001346
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018
TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD SCUL TX
SUBJECT: SCHOLASTIC BOOKS DISCOVERS THE COMPLEXITIES OF
ENTERING TURKMENISTAN'S BUSINESS MARKET
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.
4 (B) and (D).
1. (C) The Amcit International Business Development Manager
of U.S. children's book publisher Scholastic, Inc.
participated in Turkmenistan's Third Annual International
Publishing Fair as an invited guest of the State Publishing
Service, October 7-10. Scholastic was the sole U.S.
publisher represented at the event. In a meeting held on the
fringes of the book fair, the representative said that the
Turkmen government did not grant her any of the official
meetings that she requested through post, including the
Supreme Council for Science and Technology and the National
Library. One individual showed interest in purchasing a
quantity of 200 games that he would then sell at a local
retail market, but did not follow up. Scholastic is donating
the books on display at the show to the National Library.
2. (C) Russian publishers license Scholastic Books for
distribution in Russian-speaking countries. The
representative said that Scholastic would like to find
distributors throughout Central Asia for English-language
publications, and that this fair is a first step towards that
goal. She said that the Central Asian market is ripe to
develop and that Scholastic wants to make inroads, adding
that the support of post is vital because they don't have
contact with any local organizations. She also mentioned
that, given the small size of the market for Turkmen-language
publications, the Turkmen government would need to subsidize
the publication of Scholastics books in Turkmen in order for
it to be financially feasible. The company representative
did make contact with Ashgabat International School but
mentioned that prohibitive international shipping rates --
generally averaging 40 percent of the total cost of the books
-- usually made holding Scholastic's trademark book fairs not
profitable in foreign markets.
3. (C) COMMENT: Scholastic's experience sums up the
sometimes ambivalence of Turkmenistan's government to foreign
businesses: invited by the government, but yet not able to
meet with government organizations, which constitute the only
viable customers. It shows that, despite some progress,
Turkmenistan still has much work to do in order to make its
business environment more welcoming. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018
TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD SCUL TX
SUBJECT: SCHOLASTIC BOOKS DISCOVERS THE COMPLEXITIES OF
ENTERING TURKMENISTAN'S BUSINESS MARKET
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.
4 (B) and (D).
1. (C) The Amcit International Business Development Manager
of U.S. children's book publisher Scholastic, Inc.
participated in Turkmenistan's Third Annual International
Publishing Fair as an invited guest of the State Publishing
Service, October 7-10. Scholastic was the sole U.S.
publisher represented at the event. In a meeting held on the
fringes of the book fair, the representative said that the
Turkmen government did not grant her any of the official
meetings that she requested through post, including the
Supreme Council for Science and Technology and the National
Library. One individual showed interest in purchasing a
quantity of 200 games that he would then sell at a local
retail market, but did not follow up. Scholastic is donating
the books on display at the show to the National Library.
2. (C) Russian publishers license Scholastic Books for
distribution in Russian-speaking countries. The
representative said that Scholastic would like to find
distributors throughout Central Asia for English-language
publications, and that this fair is a first step towards that
goal. She said that the Central Asian market is ripe to
develop and that Scholastic wants to make inroads, adding
that the support of post is vital because they don't have
contact with any local organizations. She also mentioned
that, given the small size of the market for Turkmen-language
publications, the Turkmen government would need to subsidize
the publication of Scholastics books in Turkmen in order for
it to be financially feasible. The company representative
did make contact with Ashgabat International School but
mentioned that prohibitive international shipping rates --
generally averaging 40 percent of the total cost of the books
-- usually made holding Scholastic's trademark book fairs not
profitable in foreign markets.
3. (C) COMMENT: Scholastic's experience sums up the
sometimes ambivalence of Turkmenistan's government to foreign
businesses: invited by the government, but yet not able to
meet with government organizations, which constitute the only
viable customers. It shows that, despite some progress,
Turkmenistan still has much work to do in order to make its
business environment more welcoming. END COMMENT.
CURRAN