Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT255
2008-02-20 11:40:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN'S FLAG DAY: ANOTHER NIYAZOV DOG
how-toVZCZCXRO2403 PP RUEHAG RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV DE RUEHAH #0255 0511140 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 201140Z FEB 08 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0313 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3414 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1232 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1099 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1668 RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1393 RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2247 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0733
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000255
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2018
TAGS: PGOV SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S FLAG DAY: ANOTHER NIYAZOV DOG
DOESN'T BARK
Classified By: CDA RICHARD E. HOAGLAND: 1.4 (B),(D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000255
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2018
TAGS: PGOV SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S FLAG DAY: ANOTHER NIYAZOV DOG
DOESN'T BARK
Classified By: CDA RICHARD E. HOAGLAND: 1.4 (B),(D)
1. (SBU) Turkmenistan celebrated February 19 as Flag Day, a
new national holiday previously marked as former President
Niyazov's birthday. As usual for public holidays in
Turkmenistan, multiple elaborate public events were scheduled
the day before and the actual day of the holiday, and
rehearsed weeks in advance. Some events were notified to the
diplomatic community as "presidential events" (meaning chiefs
of mission were expected to show up) including the official
opening of the Ruhnama School in central Ashgabat (see para
two below),a gala concert, a dawn wreath-laying, the Olympic
stadium super-show, and the government reception.
2. (SBU) At the February 18 Ruhnama School event, when the
president was uncharacteristically nearly an hour late
showing up, the deputy prime ministers huddled and decided to
start without him, even though the presidential protocol
assistants had assured the impatient chiefs of mission the
president "absolutely was scheduled to attend," and one even
bet the Turkish Ambassador a lunch that Berdimuhamedov was
simply detained. Ruhnama School is not dedicated to teaching
Niyazov's "Ruhnama" -- it's simply the name of the school.
In fact, it's a specialized comprehensive school for math and
science. At eight stories, it's unusually big for Ashgabat,
where most new schools are uniformly four stories. In fact,
the first four floors are the school, and the top four will
be new offices for the city of Ashgabat's education
department.
3. (SBU) The next event where the president clearly was
expected was the wreath-laying ceremony where the entire
government and thousands of citizens had gathered before dawn
on February 19. The president was clearly expected, but a
half hour after the event was to begin, workers scrambled to
roll up the red carpets, protocol assistants dashed hither
and yon urgently whispering into their cell phones, and
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Meredov eventually
took charge and led the ceremony.
4. (C) At the presidential reception that evening during a
pull-aside conversation, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov
confided to Charge that Flag Day was held because "the people
and the elders expected" the standard holiday events that had
marked Niyazov's birthday, but the president himself was
keeping his distance. Media reports on February 19 and 20
reported the festivities -- and made clear President
Berdimuhamedov had maintained a full schedule of internal
government meetings and meetings with an unusually large
number of diplomatic and business delegations. The fireworks
that closed the two-day holiday were as excellent as always.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2018
TAGS: PGOV SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S FLAG DAY: ANOTHER NIYAZOV DOG
DOESN'T BARK
Classified By: CDA RICHARD E. HOAGLAND: 1.4 (B),(D)
1. (SBU) Turkmenistan celebrated February 19 as Flag Day, a
new national holiday previously marked as former President
Niyazov's birthday. As usual for public holidays in
Turkmenistan, multiple elaborate public events were scheduled
the day before and the actual day of the holiday, and
rehearsed weeks in advance. Some events were notified to the
diplomatic community as "presidential events" (meaning chiefs
of mission were expected to show up) including the official
opening of the Ruhnama School in central Ashgabat (see para
two below),a gala concert, a dawn wreath-laying, the Olympic
stadium super-show, and the government reception.
2. (SBU) At the February 18 Ruhnama School event, when the
president was uncharacteristically nearly an hour late
showing up, the deputy prime ministers huddled and decided to
start without him, even though the presidential protocol
assistants had assured the impatient chiefs of mission the
president "absolutely was scheduled to attend," and one even
bet the Turkish Ambassador a lunch that Berdimuhamedov was
simply detained. Ruhnama School is not dedicated to teaching
Niyazov's "Ruhnama" -- it's simply the name of the school.
In fact, it's a specialized comprehensive school for math and
science. At eight stories, it's unusually big for Ashgabat,
where most new schools are uniformly four stories. In fact,
the first four floors are the school, and the top four will
be new offices for the city of Ashgabat's education
department.
3. (SBU) The next event where the president clearly was
expected was the wreath-laying ceremony where the entire
government and thousands of citizens had gathered before dawn
on February 19. The president was clearly expected, but a
half hour after the event was to begin, workers scrambled to
roll up the red carpets, protocol assistants dashed hither
and yon urgently whispering into their cell phones, and
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Meredov eventually
took charge and led the ceremony.
4. (C) At the presidential reception that evening during a
pull-aside conversation, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov
confided to Charge that Flag Day was held because "the people
and the elders expected" the standard holiday events that had
marked Niyazov's birthday, but the president himself was
keeping his distance. Media reports on February 19 and 20
reported the festivities -- and made clear President
Berdimuhamedov had maintained a full schedule of internal
government meetings and meetings with an unusually large
number of diplomatic and business delegations. The fireworks
that closed the two-day holiday were as excellent as always.
HOAGLAND