TURKMENISTAN: RELATIONS WITH UKRAINE LIMITED,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001104 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2019 TAGS: PREL ETRD TX UP SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: RELATIONS WITH UKRAINE LIMITED, MOSTLY COMMERCIAL Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Although Ukraine and Turkmenistan no longer see eye-to-eye on political priorities, Ukrainian companies are still active in Turkmenistan, especially in the construction sector. However, restrictions on civic organizations have isolated expat Ukrainians and those who now come to Turkmenistan do so only temporarily. Although the press reports paint a picture of a rosy relationship, in reality the Soviet-era ties are dissolving and the countries are more different than similar. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Political Officer met with Anna Dobracheva, a new Ukrainian Political Officer at the Ukrainian Embassy, who is also in charge of Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs, to get an overview of Turkmen-Ukrainian relations. Dobracheva opened by saying that economic cooperation is the most important part of the relationship between Ukraine and Turkmenistan. Since the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, political differences have made the government-to-government interaction somewhat strained. The Orange Revolution was not the only factor that lead to the decline, but it certainly contributed. ¶3. (SBU) One sector in which Ukrainian companies in Turkmenistan are doing well is construction. They completed a railway bridge on August 24 in the Lebap province -- just in time to receive mention at the Ukrainian National Day celebration -- and will soon break ground on a nearby auto bridge. Even though the Turkmen Government is now praising that project, delays during the construction in the past sparked criticism from President Berdimuhamedov. Ukraine is attempting to increase its participation in Turkmenistan's energy sector. Kyiv hopes to purchase gas directly from Ashgabat, to give itself an alternate supplier to Gazprom, and Ukrainian President Yushchenko will raise this topic when he comes to Turkmenistan in September. ¶4. (SBU) Dobracheva mentioned that there are fewer Ukrainians living in Turkmenistan than in the past, primarily because Ukrainians are no longer moving to Turkmenistan. Those who are in the country are either working here temporarily for Ukrainian companies or had moved here in the Soviet era. The Turkmen Government places strict limits on any civic organizations, so the only official Ukrainian cultural organization is the Ukrainian Sunday School. Many of the younger Ukrainians leave the country by taking advantage of opportunities such as the reserved places for expats at Ukrainian universities. ¶5. (C) The Ukrainian Embassy appears to place high hopes on President Yushchenko's upcoming September 15-16 visit for improved relations. He will spend one day in Ashgabat, discussing energy, a renewal of the protocol between the two countries' Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and a proposal to set up agreements between universities in two countries to facilitate students studying abroad. The second day Yushchenko will travel to Lebap to open the new railway bridge and to break ground for the auto bridge. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: Dobracheva's comments differed in tone from those in local and international press. She was not as upbeat about the general trends, did not claim that Ukraine and Turkmenistan are on the same path politically, and was open about the problems for Ukrainians living in the country. Although she may have been spinning her comments for a U.S. audience, both her statements and anecdotes from the Ukrainian National Day celebration indicate that there are now more differences that similarities between these two former Soviet countries. END COMMENT. MILES