TURKMEN OFFICIALS INTERESTED IN USDA EXCHANGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ASHGABAT 000787 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTDA DAN STEIN TREASURY FOR BAKER/LANIER AGRICULTURE FOR GERARD/FREITAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017 TAGS: PREL ECON EAGR EAID SOCI TX SUBJECT: TURKMEN OFFICIALS INTERESTED IN USDA EXCHANGE PROGRAM, BUT NOT PREPARED -- YET Classified By: CDA RICHARD E. HOAGLAND: 1.4 (B),(D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: U.S. Department of Agriculture Program Officer Amy Freitas met on June 9-10 with representatives of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, and Niyazov Agriculture University to discuss possible implementation of a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored faculty exchange program in agricultural economics. While officials are clearly interested in implementing the program, the meetings also demonstrated that there are some signifiant barriers that will block the traditional program from getting underway in Turkmenistan during the next cycle. Post strongly supports this program and believes if the U.S. Department of Agriculture is prepared to implement some intermediate measures, Turkmenistan may be ready to participate in the faculty exchange program in the future -- possibly as early as 2010. These measures include supporting programs such as training in basic agricultural economics, as well as establishment of an English-language program, and a study tour for influential academic and agriculture sector officials to U.S. land grant universities. During Freitas' visit, it quickly became apparent that the Turkmen interlocutors were approaching certain topics from different perspectives -- but more importantly, they also showed what for Turkmenistan is great interest in new U.S. programs. Therefore, post believes that the United States has a golden opportunity to deepen the U.S.-Turkmen relationship which we should not pass up, the fruits of which have the potential to benefit both Turkmenistan and the United States in significant ways. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) In response to requests from Turkmenistan for assistance in its agricultural sector, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in January 2008 proposed implementing a faculty exchange program that would take up to four university-level instructors in agricultural economics to U.S. universities for a semester with the goal of updating their knowledge and curricula. Although the program seemed to address a key need -- upgrading the capacity of instructors at Turkmenistan's agricultural institutes -- the Government of Turkmenistan failed to respond to the U.S. government's initial offer. To explore the reasons for the lack of response and to determine the possibilities for implementing the program in the fall of 2009, USDA Program Officer Amy Freitas met on June 9-10 with officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Niyazov Agricultural University. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION: (SURPRISINGLY) SUPPORTIVE ¶3. (C) At the Ministry of Education, Head of International Relations Nury Bayramov, one of the ministry's most obstructive officials, was uncharacteristically supportive of the program. Pointing out that agricultural reform is a priority for the government, he stated that this program ties in with the important role the agriculture sector plays in Turkmenistan, since the majority of Turkmen live in rural areas and are employed in this sector. He was eager to get the program moving as early as possible, but encouraged Freitas to expand the program to allow graduate students to participate in the program -- adding that his son is studying in the agricultural economics graduate program at the Agricultural University. Bayramov also urged USDA to consider expanding the program to other, technical specializations, suggesting that four participants from one specialization would wipe out an entire department for a semester. UNIVERSITY MEETING REVEALS SOME (NOT INSURMOUNTABLE) BARRIERS ASHGABAT 00000787 002 OF 004 ¶4. (C) At a June 10 meeting, Niyazov Agricultural University Rector Gurbandurdy Mammetgulev and Ministry of Agriculture International Relations head Shammy Annamyradov expressed similar concerns about the program's length. (COMMENT: According to post's FSN responsible for agricultural issues, who used to work at the Ministry of Agriculture, Annamyradov is a "hardline communist" resistant to new ideas. END COMMENT.) The rector -- the more constructive of the two -- noted that the program as proposed would take all of his economists away from the university for five months during the school year. He was concerned that he had nobody with an English-language proficiency sufficient to allow them to participate in the program. He also voiced a preference for sending younger people, stating that his professors are close to retirement, and echoed Bayramov's suggestion that USDA expand the scope of applicants beyond agricultural economists. ¶5. (C) While he seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the challenges of implementing such a program, telling Freitas at one point, "I don't even know who I could send on this program," however, Mammetgulev in no way seemed to be hostile to the program's concept, repeating several times as he was raising potential roadblocks, "But these are questions that we can work out." And he seemed willing to try to find a workable solution, finally agreeing that, while a full five-month program might create a substantial difficulty for the university, the school might be willing to accept an three-month arrangement in which participants would use two months of personal leave and a month of official work time. He was also extremely enthusiastic about the possibility that a U.S. professor would make a one-week reciprocal visit at the end of the program to give lectures and provide consultations at the University. ¶6. (C) During the conversation with Mammetgulev and Annamyradov, it also became clear that another potential complication to the program is the lack of common understanding of the concept of agricultural economics. As opposed to the broad-ranging and strategic way in which Americans define this course subject, Mammetgulev and Annamyradov's concept of agricultural economics seemed to be much more limited and focused on nuts-and-bolts. At one point, in seeking to discuss how his university is currently addressing this subject, for example, Mammetgulev stated that the university teaches technicians to save money on tractors. Despite substantial probing, Freitas was unable to establish that the university has a program that teaches its students to take a more comprehensive, strategic approach to agricultural production. (COMMENT: As we have talked with others knowledgeable about Turkmenistan's agricultural education programs, they have confirmed that, given Turkmenistan's overwhelming experience with Soviet agricultural models, there is no real concept of agribusiness and/or agricultural economy here. END COMMENT.) TURKMENISTAN NOT READY FOR FACULTY EXCHANGE PROGRAM -- YET ¶7. (SBU) While Post continues to believe that USDA's faculty exchange program offers an extremely effective way to assist Turkmenistan in upgrading its agricultural training curriculum, the country is not yet ready for this program. Agricultural education tends to emphasize technical, rather than strategic approaches. And, to the extent that agricultural economics exists as a field in Turkmenistan, those who teach it are aging and have no English-language skills, and they also lack a basis for understanding free-market economics. Ministry and University decision makers -- some of whom are not the most flexible -- also seem ASHGABAT 00000787 003 OF 004 to have little experience in international exchange and are therefore unclear about the purpose and benefits that the University and Turkmenistan's agriculture sector would reap. In short, these organizations have very different orientations from their U.S. counterparts, making it difficult for decision-makers to give a green light to a program they cannot understand. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A RELATIONSHIP THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSED ¶8. (SBU) Yet, Turkmenistan's agricultural academic institutions desperately need to integrate with Western counterparts in order make necessary progress towards modernizing the industry and developing the country. Access to food in this part of the world is tied to national security, so for this reason, it is also in U.S. national interests to assist Turkmenistan in this effort. What was most remarkable in these meetings was the clearly evident interest that the Turkmen officials have in the program and in cooperation with USDA. If the officials had felt that the program was not important, they would not have interacted or raised any issues. Agriculture is one more area where the United States has an opportunity to build a meaningful relationship with Turkmenistan, and this opportunity should not be missed. A WAY FORWARD ¶9. (C) In Post's view, the U.S. government needs to take some intermediate steps before Turkmenistan will be ready to participate in USDA's Faculty Exchange Program in Agricultural Economics: -- Organize a study tour to one or more U.S. land grant universities with Colleges of Agriculture for the Niyazov Agricultural University rector or his designee and 1-2 others influential in the agriculture sector. This study tour would demonstrate the breadth of perspective and class offerings given at U.S. agricultural colleges. Such a program would also demonstrate the variety and seriousness of research opportunities to those who have misgivings about the substance of a faculty exchange program. -- Send a U.S. professor of economics to Niyazov Agricultural University to teach agricultural economics courses. This basic step would help cultivate and prepare participants in a faculty exchange program in agricultural economics, as well as begin exposing future agricultural experts to new ways of thinking that could promote future reform. -- If one appropriate current faculty member can be identified, send that person on the program in the fall of 2009, as well as a graduate student who will soon be teaching economics in the University. (NOTE: President Berdimuhamedov has prioritized participation of young people in exchange programs, and such initiatives are likely to garner significant support -- an important point as all major decisions, including those on who may participate in exchange programs, come from the top. This is also an issue Senator Richard Lugar discussed with the president in January; Berdimuhamedov clearly welcomed such programs. END NOTE.) -- The concept of an English-language program was very well received by the Turkmen officials, and classes will start as soon as an amendment to the existing Memorandum of Understanding signed by former President Niyazov and the then-Secretary of Agriculture in 1998 is written and accepted by both sides. Such a program would have a dual use: it would not only help prepare potential participants for the ASHGABAT 00000787 004 OF 004 faculty exchange, but would also give Turkmenistan's agricultural academics increased exposure to outside agricultural information. However, since Turkmen officials tend to believe that all foreign countries organize their programs similarly, Mammetgulev and Annamyradov also seemed to expect that the U.S. language program would be like the EU-Tacis Tempus program, which supplied 40 computer workstations, a smart board, a language laboratory, and books on agriculture subjects in the Turkmen language. If extra funding is available, perhaps some of it could go to technology or academic economics materials. ¶10. (C) COMMENT: Freitas' visit was very important in that familiarity and trust are vital to building programs in Turkmenistan. It also uncovered some significant barriers that need to be overcome before the program can go forward. Turkmenistan is in a period of transition. While Turkmen officials know that the current party line is "reform" and "international education," there are still hardliners and naysayers -- people who are not used to these concepts and who need to be persuaded. Post believes that the program ideas that are described above will effectively bridge the gap by bringing young people up to speed and showing Turkmen officials in practice what we preach, until the time when appropriate Turkmen participants in the Faculty Exchange Program in International Economics emerge. It is also important to note that the Turkmen side has the will to make this work. In post's view, the U.S. government has an opportunity to propose some projects that would have not had a chance earlier, and it should not be wasted. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND