TURKMEN GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS ON STUDY ABROAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001146 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2019 TAGS: PGOV SCUL SOCI TX SUBJECT: TURKMEN GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS ON STUDY ABROAD ARE WIDESPREAD Classified By: Charge Sylvia R. Curran, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) At the September 8 Tajik Independence Day reception, diplomats from other embassies commented that the Turkmen government had blocked Turkmen students from leaving Turkmenistan for studies in their countries. The German Charge d'Affaires noted that four of eight students that had been awarded German government scholarships for study in Germany had not been allowed to depart. She felt this was incomprehensible given that, during the selection process, a Turkmen official had been part of the review panel that chose the successful applicants. The German Charge also mentioned that she had been calling other embassies to confirm Turkmen government claims of foreign students enrolled in Turkmen universities. While not providing any figure, the Turkish Charge d'Affaires said that due to the large expatriate Turkish community in Turkmenistan, some Turkish students enroll to remain close to their families. A Chinese diplomat said there is one Chinese student enrolled at the National Institute of Foreign Languages. (NOTE: The rector of the Pedogogical Institute in Turkmenabat told us in 2008 that nearly 20 Afghan students, primarily ethnic Turkmen, studied at his school. END NOTE.) ¶2. (C) The Russian political counselor remarked that would-be Turkmen students wanting to depart for Russian schools are having difficulty leaving Turkmenistan. The exception is those students who are recipients of Turkmen government scholarships or cases where tuition has been waived through an agreement with the Russian government. He said, however, that other officials at his embassy were addressing the issue, and he could not provide numbers of affected students or what measures had been taken by the Russians. Having previously worked at the Russian embassy in Bishkek, the Russian diplomat scoffed at the idea that Turkmen authorities questioned the educational standards at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). ¶3. (C) The Kyrgyz ambassador in Ashgabat, who recently returned to Ashgabat from an extended vacation, asked poloff about the prospects for Turkmen students to still enroll at AUCA. He could not understand how the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) could be viewed by Turkmen officials any differently than they view AUCA. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Despite initial indications from the MFA to us that the ban on foreign studies was limited to Kyrgyzstan as a result of specific conditions there, it is clear that the Turkmen government is stepping up efforts to block any foreign study by Turkmen students that is not GOTX approved. Perhaps the outflow of students had reached a point that became embarrassing for Turkmen officials. It is also possible that the Turkmen leadership believes the stories that some Turkmen students are becoming radicalized abroad. Unfortunately, instead of trying to stem the outflow by improving educational opportunities at home and competing for students, it seems the government decided to severely restrict foreign study as an option. END COMMENT. CURRAN