Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT671
2008-05-27 12:57:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN CONTINUES TO SHUCK VESTIGES OF NIYAZOV'S
how-toVZCZCXRO3842 RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #0671 1481257 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 271257Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0877 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3815 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1633 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1500 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2069 RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2555
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000671
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN CONTINUES TO SHUCK VESTIGES OF NIYAZOV'S
CULT
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000671
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN CONTINUES TO SHUCK VESTIGES OF NIYAZOV'S
CULT
1. (U) In response to April 23 instructions from President
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan's Mejlis (Parliament) on May
24 adopted a resolution that returns the names of the months of the
year to their Russian (international) names and the names of the
days of the week to their traditional Turkmen names. The resolution
will take effect on July 1, and reverses an August 2002 decision by
former President Niyazov to replace the months' and days' Gregorian
calendar names with unique Niyazovian names -- January was named for
Niyazov, April for his mother, and September after his book, the
Ruhnama. The Mejlis resolution cited the need to adhere to global
standards, including the use of the Gregorian calendar names, as the
reason for the change. Post lately has observed another sign that
President Niyazov's personality cult is slowly being walked back: a
book exhibit at a May 23-25 international carpet exhibition in
Ashgabat did not display a single copy of any of Niyazov's books,
including the Ruhnama.
2. (SBU) COMMENT: In general, Turkmenistan's people seem to be
happy about the decision to reinstate the Gregorian calendar and
return to the traditional names of the days of the week. For most
Turkmen, who were raised using the Gregorian calendar and who tend
to be apolitical, abolishing Niyazov's calendar is not so much a
political statement as it is a return to sanity and normality. END
COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN CONTINUES TO SHUCK VESTIGES OF NIYAZOV'S
CULT
1. (U) In response to April 23 instructions from President
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan's Mejlis (Parliament) on May
24 adopted a resolution that returns the names of the months of the
year to their Russian (international) names and the names of the
days of the week to their traditional Turkmen names. The resolution
will take effect on July 1, and reverses an August 2002 decision by
former President Niyazov to replace the months' and days' Gregorian
calendar names with unique Niyazovian names -- January was named for
Niyazov, April for his mother, and September after his book, the
Ruhnama. The Mejlis resolution cited the need to adhere to global
standards, including the use of the Gregorian calendar names, as the
reason for the change. Post lately has observed another sign that
President Niyazov's personality cult is slowly being walked back: a
book exhibit at a May 23-25 international carpet exhibition in
Ashgabat did not display a single copy of any of Niyazov's books,
including the Ruhnama.
2. (SBU) COMMENT: In general, Turkmenistan's people seem to be
happy about the decision to reinstate the Gregorian calendar and
return to the traditional names of the days of the week. For most
Turkmen, who were raised using the Gregorian calendar and who tend
to be apolitical, abolishing Niyazov's calendar is not so much a
political statement as it is a return to sanity and normality. END
COMMENT.
HOAGLAND