Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT32
2008-01-08 11:36:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: BUREAUCRATIC INTRIGUE IN THE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000032
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
AID/W FOR EE/AA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINR SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: BUREAUCRATIC INTRIGUE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS, 1.4 (B) AND (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000032
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
AID/W FOR EE/AA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINR SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: BUREAUCRATIC INTRIGUE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS, 1.4 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: A little digging behind the "technical
problem" explanation for the postponement of a visit revealed
bureaucratic maneuvering within Turkmenistan's Ministry of
Health. A deputy minister stepped in it by extending an
invitation that had not been cleared by his boss. Now,
colleagues, at least one with a long-standing grudge, is
using this against him, while the deputy minister tries to
correct the problem without getting caught. Despite the
opacity of the inner workings of Turkmenistan's government,
this case illuminates that bureaucrats are interested in what
makes them look good and keeps their rivals off balance,
while protecting their own flanks. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) In response to a September 11, 2007, request for
assistance in designing a new infectious disease lab by
Deputy Minister of Health and Medical Industry (MOHMI)
Elyasov, USAID helped to organize a visit by a joint
U.S.-Canadian team of specialists from U.S. Department of
State's Bureau of International Security and
Nonproliferation, the Canadian global Partnership (CGP),and
the U.S. Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The delegation was supposed to discuss laboratory design
plans, visit several public health labs, and meet with
scientists to assess the level of safety and security and
determine what assistance could be provided by either the
U.S. agencies or CGP.
3. (C) The team planned to visit Turkmenistan January 23-26,
but USAID was advised unofficially on December 28 by MOHMI
and on January 2 officially by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs that the proposed dates were "not timely" due to
"technical problems" with the plans to construct the
laboratory. MFA stressed that the visit was not canceled,
only postponed.
4. (C) The real reason for the delay appears to be primarily
personal/bureaucratic within MOHMI. According to a source at
the Ministry, Deputy Minister Elyasov did not inform the
Minister before sending his initial request to us last fall,
a major faux pas in this top-down bureaucratic culture.
Since we requested a meeting for the delegation with the
Minister, a MOHMI colleague with knowledge of this fact made
clear to Elyasov that Minister Serdarov would learn of his
previous "insubordinate actions" if a meeting were granted.
Consequently, Elyasov now wants to postpone the visit to give
time to the Minister to take ownership of the plan. We told
MOHMI that an soon-to-arrive CODEL would most likely raise
this issue during its visit, and now Elyasov has become even
more panicked. Basically, a colleague of Elyasov's at MOHMI
does not want the team to visit the labs, which he views as
substandard, and is using the entire situation (including
sending the original request without permission) against
Elyasov.
5. (C) The government has yet to award the tender for
construction of the lab, because, according to MOHMI and MFA
sources, the Turkish consstruction firm Polimeks, the leading
bidder, could not meet the design specs with the allocated
funding. Another MOHMI source told us that Deputy Minister
Orazov (responsible for Sanitary/Epidemiological Services
(SES)),who stands to lose bureaucratically from the new
consolidated lab, is also trying to sabotage Elyasov by not
providing his technical inputs to the design. If the
available funding does not allow for the new lab to meet SES'
specs, Orazov could step in and shut the lab down to
embarrass Elyasov.
6. (C) COMMENT: Behind the opaque screen that covers
government workings and decision-making in Turkmenistan are
ASHGABAT 00000032 002 OF 002
apparently the same bureaucratic machinations one finds
everywhere. Clearly in this case, bureaucrats are interested
in what makes them look good and keeps their rivals off
balance, while protecting their own flanks. It will
certainly make us wonder what intra- and inter-agency issues
are at play the next time we get the "technical problem"
explanation for something from our Turkmen government
counterparts. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
AID/W FOR EE/AA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINR SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: BUREAUCRATIC INTRIGUE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS, 1.4 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: A little digging behind the "technical
problem" explanation for the postponement of a visit revealed
bureaucratic maneuvering within Turkmenistan's Ministry of
Health. A deputy minister stepped in it by extending an
invitation that had not been cleared by his boss. Now,
colleagues, at least one with a long-standing grudge, is
using this against him, while the deputy minister tries to
correct the problem without getting caught. Despite the
opacity of the inner workings of Turkmenistan's government,
this case illuminates that bureaucrats are interested in what
makes them look good and keeps their rivals off balance,
while protecting their own flanks. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) In response to a September 11, 2007, request for
assistance in designing a new infectious disease lab by
Deputy Minister of Health and Medical Industry (MOHMI)
Elyasov, USAID helped to organize a visit by a joint
U.S.-Canadian team of specialists from U.S. Department of
State's Bureau of International Security and
Nonproliferation, the Canadian global Partnership (CGP),and
the U.S. Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The delegation was supposed to discuss laboratory design
plans, visit several public health labs, and meet with
scientists to assess the level of safety and security and
determine what assistance could be provided by either the
U.S. agencies or CGP.
3. (C) The team planned to visit Turkmenistan January 23-26,
but USAID was advised unofficially on December 28 by MOHMI
and on January 2 officially by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs that the proposed dates were "not timely" due to
"technical problems" with the plans to construct the
laboratory. MFA stressed that the visit was not canceled,
only postponed.
4. (C) The real reason for the delay appears to be primarily
personal/bureaucratic within MOHMI. According to a source at
the Ministry, Deputy Minister Elyasov did not inform the
Minister before sending his initial request to us last fall,
a major faux pas in this top-down bureaucratic culture.
Since we requested a meeting for the delegation with the
Minister, a MOHMI colleague with knowledge of this fact made
clear to Elyasov that Minister Serdarov would learn of his
previous "insubordinate actions" if a meeting were granted.
Consequently, Elyasov now wants to postpone the visit to give
time to the Minister to take ownership of the plan. We told
MOHMI that an soon-to-arrive CODEL would most likely raise
this issue during its visit, and now Elyasov has become even
more panicked. Basically, a colleague of Elyasov's at MOHMI
does not want the team to visit the labs, which he views as
substandard, and is using the entire situation (including
sending the original request without permission) against
Elyasov.
5. (C) The government has yet to award the tender for
construction of the lab, because, according to MOHMI and MFA
sources, the Turkish consstruction firm Polimeks, the leading
bidder, could not meet the design specs with the allocated
funding. Another MOHMI source told us that Deputy Minister
Orazov (responsible for Sanitary/Epidemiological Services
(SES)),who stands to lose bureaucratically from the new
consolidated lab, is also trying to sabotage Elyasov by not
providing his technical inputs to the design. If the
available funding does not allow for the new lab to meet SES'
specs, Orazov could step in and shut the lab down to
embarrass Elyasov.
6. (C) COMMENT: Behind the opaque screen that covers
government workings and decision-making in Turkmenistan are
ASHGABAT 00000032 002 OF 002
apparently the same bureaucratic machinations one finds
everywhere. Clearly in this case, bureaucrats are interested
in what makes them look good and keeps their rivals off
balance, while protecting their own flanks. It will
certainly make us wonder what intra- and inter-agency issues
are at play the next time we get the "technical problem"
explanation for something from our Turkmen government
counterparts. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND