Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT481
2008-04-17 05:35:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: OSCE NATIONAL MINORITIES EXPERT
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UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000481
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SCUL OSCE TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: OSCE NATIONAL MINORITIES EXPERT
FACES UPHILL EFFORT TO DRUM UP DIALOGUE
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000481
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SCUL OSCE TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: OSCE NATIONAL MINORITIES EXPERT
FACES UPHILL EFFORT TO DRUM UP DIALOGUE
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: An OSCE expert on national minorities
was in Ashgabat April 16 to try to initiate a dialogue with
Turkmen officials on minority education. The government
appears to have given the OSCE the cold shoulder on this
sensitive subject. Rather than taking the OSCE view that
minority-language education promotes inter-ethnic harmony,
the Turkmenistan government views anything that emphasizes
differences among ethnic groups as a threat to stability and
a harbinger of ethnic strife. END SUMMARY.
3. (SBU) Brendan Moran, Director for the OSCE High
Commission on National Minorities, and OSCE Political Adviser
Dmitriy Aleshkevich were in Ashgabat April 16-18 to attend
the last of three OSCE-sponsored regional
education/distance-learning seminars, and were expecting the
Turkmen Minister of Education Anaamanov to attend on April
17.
4. (SBU) During the course of the seminar, Moran said they
hoped to initiate a dialogue with government officials about
an OSCE program that promotes the exchange of
indigenous-language text books among the states of Central
Asia, all of whom have minority ethnic populations from
neighboring states. OSCE already has programs underway to
promote the teaching of minority languages in the other four
Central Asian states. He alleged there were no
Uzbek-language textbooks in libraries in heavily Uzbek areas
in the northern part of Turkmenistan.
5. (SBU) He noted Turkmen officials had removed the term
"national minorities" from the seminar agenda, allegedly
because they did not want to admit there are ethnic
minorities or possible inter-ethnic tensions. The Turkmen
government does not currently acknowledge that anyone other
than "Turkmen" are citizens of Turkmenistan, although there
are ethnic Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Slavs, among others, resident
in the country. Moran noted that the Turkmen government had
claimed in a UN children's rights document that it had
permitted some schooling in the Kazakh, Uzbek, and Russian
languages. The OSCE has been unable to find any evidence of
teaching in Uzbek and Kazakh. And the fact that there are no
Uzbek-language textbooks would seem to underscore that point.
6. (SBU) Moran said he had been disappointed to learn that
the Turkmen government did not agree to a number of official
meetings he had hoped to have on April 16, including with
Minister Anaamanov, Deputy Foreign Minister Hajiyev, and the
Director of the Institute of State and Law. The MFA had not
given representatives at the OSCE Center in Ashgabat any
reasons for refusing to arrange even a single meeting for
him. Part of the reason he had wanted to meet with officials
was to begin laying the groundwork for OSCE High Commissioner
on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek's possible visit to
Turkmenistan the week of May 19.
7. (SBU) COMMENT: The Turkmen generally are not interested
in discussing ethnic minorities. Although OSCE sees
bilingual education as a key to ethnic harmony, the Turkmen
do not necessarily agree. The government appears to equate
official encouragement of minority language education with
promoting separation and ethnic strife. They feel more
comfortable with emphasizing the "Turkmenness" of all. The
fact that this contradicts government recognition of Turkmen
communities in other lands and the hosting of an annual World
Society of Turkmen celebration is ironic. It also should be
noted that the Ministry of Education, as we have often
reported, is one of the hardest to deal with and is not
especially open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.
END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SCUL OSCE TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: OSCE NATIONAL MINORITIES EXPERT
FACES UPHILL EFFORT TO DRUM UP DIALOGUE
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: An OSCE expert on national minorities
was in Ashgabat April 16 to try to initiate a dialogue with
Turkmen officials on minority education. The government
appears to have given the OSCE the cold shoulder on this
sensitive subject. Rather than taking the OSCE view that
minority-language education promotes inter-ethnic harmony,
the Turkmenistan government views anything that emphasizes
differences among ethnic groups as a threat to stability and
a harbinger of ethnic strife. END SUMMARY.
3. (SBU) Brendan Moran, Director for the OSCE High
Commission on National Minorities, and OSCE Political Adviser
Dmitriy Aleshkevich were in Ashgabat April 16-18 to attend
the last of three OSCE-sponsored regional
education/distance-learning seminars, and were expecting the
Turkmen Minister of Education Anaamanov to attend on April
17.
4. (SBU) During the course of the seminar, Moran said they
hoped to initiate a dialogue with government officials about
an OSCE program that promotes the exchange of
indigenous-language text books among the states of Central
Asia, all of whom have minority ethnic populations from
neighboring states. OSCE already has programs underway to
promote the teaching of minority languages in the other four
Central Asian states. He alleged there were no
Uzbek-language textbooks in libraries in heavily Uzbek areas
in the northern part of Turkmenistan.
5. (SBU) He noted Turkmen officials had removed the term
"national minorities" from the seminar agenda, allegedly
because they did not want to admit there are ethnic
minorities or possible inter-ethnic tensions. The Turkmen
government does not currently acknowledge that anyone other
than "Turkmen" are citizens of Turkmenistan, although there
are ethnic Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Slavs, among others, resident
in the country. Moran noted that the Turkmen government had
claimed in a UN children's rights document that it had
permitted some schooling in the Kazakh, Uzbek, and Russian
languages. The OSCE has been unable to find any evidence of
teaching in Uzbek and Kazakh. And the fact that there are no
Uzbek-language textbooks would seem to underscore that point.
6. (SBU) Moran said he had been disappointed to learn that
the Turkmen government did not agree to a number of official
meetings he had hoped to have on April 16, including with
Minister Anaamanov, Deputy Foreign Minister Hajiyev, and the
Director of the Institute of State and Law. The MFA had not
given representatives at the OSCE Center in Ashgabat any
reasons for refusing to arrange even a single meeting for
him. Part of the reason he had wanted to meet with officials
was to begin laying the groundwork for OSCE High Commissioner
on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek's possible visit to
Turkmenistan the week of May 19.
7. (SBU) COMMENT: The Turkmen generally are not interested
in discussing ethnic minorities. Although OSCE sees
bilingual education as a key to ethnic harmony, the Turkmen
do not necessarily agree. The government appears to equate
official encouragement of minority language education with
promoting separation and ethnic strife. They feel more
comfortable with emphasizing the "Turkmenness" of all. The
fact that this contradicts government recognition of Turkmen
communities in other lands and the hosting of an annual World
Society of Turkmen celebration is ironic. It also should be
noted that the Ministry of Education, as we have often
reported, is one of the hardest to deal with and is not
especially open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.
END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND