TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN TRADE SHOW IN ASHGABAT

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001559 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV PREL IR TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN TRADE SHOW IN ASHGABAT ¶1. (U) Several dozen Iranian companies exhibited their products at a large trade show in Ashgabat from November 28-30. The wide range of goods on display included Iran Khodro/Peugeot automobiles, farm equipment, foodstuffs, applicances, cosmetics, and construction materials. The booths covered almost the entire 1200-sq. meters of floor space at Ashgabat's Exhibition Hall. ¶2. (U) Many of the businesses at the exhibition were based in the northern city of Mashhad. One purveyor of luxury marble and granite flooring from Hamadan, undoubtedly hoping to benefit from Ashgabat's surge in high-rise residential apartment construction, proudly showed emboff his stock of pink marble, onyx and other materials. ¶3. (U) We noted that most of the representatives for the higher value items were Iranians, whereas the job of manning the booths for cosmetics, food products and small appliances had been delegated to local Turkmen employees, many of whom appeared to be university students. (Note: We tasted one variety of chocolate truffles produced in Iran and concluded that Swiss, Belgium or even Russian chocolatiers face no immediate danger of being edged out. End Note.) ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Iran and Turkmenistan are expected to do about 2 billion dollars in trade this year, much of which is accounted for by Turkmen sales of natural gas to Iran. While the exhibition was crowded, most of the visitors did not appear to be local Turkmen businessmen, but rather curious Ashgabat residents, especially students, who seemed to enjoy trying out the cars and and collecting free items handed out at the various booths. End comment. MILES