TURKMENISTAN: STATE MEDIA HIGHLIGHT BUSH-BERDIMUHAMEDOV

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000438 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, IIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV SCUL KPAO TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: STATE MEDIA HIGHLIGHT BUSH-BERDIMUHAMEDOV AT NATO SUMMIT REF: A) ASHGABAT 0435 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (U) SUMMARY: State media prominently highlighted the April 3 meeting between President Bush and Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the NATO Summit in Bucharest to demonstrate Turkmenistan's growing international exposure and to emphasize its positive bilateral relationship with the United States. Some international media reported on the meeting based on state media coverage. END SUMMARY. STATE AND INTERMATIONAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHT THE MEETING ¶3. (U) The April 3 broadcast of the "Watan" TV news program (Turkmen) highlighted President Bush's meeting with President Berdimuhamedov on April 3 at the NATO Summit in Bucharest, emphasizing that both leaders confirmed their readiness to deepen their constructive partnership, especially in the field of fuel and energy, as well as educational exchanges. The program noted that President Bush expressed full support for President Berdimuhamedov's commitment to diversify Turkmenistan's hydrocarbon export routes. The same day, pro-government website "TURKMENISTAN.RU" (Russian, English) carried similar coverage. This was followed by reports which appeared April 4 on the front pages of the state-run dailies, "Neytralniy Turkmenistan" (Russian, circ. 44,791) and "Turkmenistan" (Turkmen, circ. 29,091). The newspapers and websites erroneously claimed that it was President Bush's only bilateral meeting during the NATO summit (Ref. A). PHOTO WITH BUSH HIGHLIGHTED AGAIN ¶4. (U) On Monday, April 07, "Neytralniy Turkmenistan" and "Turkmenistan" ran front-page articles giving complete NATO Summit coverage under the title, "Symbol of a New Epoch," using the slogan of Berdimuhamedov's reform program. Although the article covered Berdimuhamedov's activity at the NATO summit in general, it was accompanied by a large photo of the two presidents walking side-by-side. ¶5. (U) The "Reuters" (English, Russian) April 4 and Russian news agency "Interfax" April 3 articles gave accurate coverage of the meeting based on state media reports. Both reports mainly focused on fuel and energy export issues. International reporting was neutral, other than a "NEWEURASIA.NET" blog which criticized the United States for ignoring human rights concerns in order to seek Turkmenistan's energy resources. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: State media showcased the meeting to demonstrate Berdimuhamedov's international stature and show the United States' support for his policy of developing Turkmenistan's energy sector. Since the media is an official organ, this coverage shows Turkmenistan wants to highlight its new relationship with the United States. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND