TURKMEN PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS MAIN FOREIGN POLICY TRENDS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001285 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL TX SUBJECT: TURKMEN PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS MAIN FOREIGN POLICY TRENDS REF: A) ASHGABAT 1265, B) ASHGABAT 1273 ASHGABAT 00001285 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On October 1, President Berdimuhamedov held his first "open" press conference with state-run and foreign media, fielding questions on the results of Turkmenistan's participation at the 64th United Nations General Assembly (Ref A). In the course of the press conference, the president outlined Turkmenistan's foreign policy priorities. He also discussed the world community's increased interest in Turkmenistan, its foreign policy approaches, and its achievements in economic and social fields. Although the press conference was a staged event, it provided a good platform for the president to directly and clearly declare the country's foreign policy trends, but broke little new ground. END SUMMARY. TURKMENISTAN'S ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS ¶3. (SBU) Opening the press conference, Berdimuhamedov answered a question on his vision of Turkmenistan's engagement in the processes of international politics and the country's role in the world community. He advocated for a flexible, pro-active foreign policy, saying that "it is necessary not only to keep pace with the changes happening around, but also ... to overcome the inertia of outdated political stereotypes. It has become much more important ... to be able to properly foresee ... further developments in the world community and to timely react to challenges ..." He underscored that every country can and should find areas in which to act. Concerning Turkmenistan's contribution to the common security goals, Berdimuhamedov cited proposals on the development of a UN document on energy transit security and the regional disarmament initiative. CRITICISM OF A MILITARY SOLUTION IN AFGHANISTAN ¶4. (SBU) Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan strives to achieve stability in the Central Asian and Caspian regions as a contribution to global security. He sharply criticized some representatives of international community who "unilaterally offered a military model to settle Afghanistan's internal conflict," noting that the long drawn-out process has yet to lead to peace and consensus there. He offered Turkmenistan's own example of neutrality as a model for the settlement of a number of Afghan problems. He reiterated that Turkmenistan provides humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, asserting that it would prove more effective in the long-run than military solutions. CENTRAL ASIAN WATER PROBLEM ¶5. (SBU) Regarding the issue of water resource management in Central Asia, the president expressed concern about Tajik plans to build new hydro-power stations and the possible negative impact for down-stream countries. He called on the countries in the region to collectively resolve this problem, namely by jointly subsidizing a solution to Tajikistan's energy problems in exchange for maintaining the current volume of water headed downstream. He said that Turkmenistan engaged specialists of the UN Regional Center in Central Asia for Preventive Diplomacy (UNRCCA),which is located in Ashgabat, to monitor the situation and to use UN resources and approaches in order to reach a resolution acceptable to all stakeholders. TURKMEN VIEW ON UN REFORM ¶6. (SBU) When asked his view on UN reform, Berdimuhamedov emphasized the importance of international organizations, first of all the UN, in solving conflicts. He favored UN reform that would make the organization stronger and more effective, "expanding the roles and functions of the UN as a guarantor of international peace and stability." As a model for further development of UN capabilities, he named the establishment of the UNRCCA in Ashgabat. He said that UNRCCA was the first experimental UN structure whose experts "work not behind thick glass at the headquarters, but in ASHGABAT 00001285 002.2 OF 002 immediate proximity to developing events, and have the opportunity to closely study and efficiently react to the situation." CASPIAN DELIMITATION AND AZERBAIJAN DISPUTE ¶7. (SBU) Regarding delimitation of the Caspian boundary with Azerbaijan, Berdimuhamedov noted that the major disagreement occurs over the claims of the two sides over oil deposits in the central part of the sea shelf, "where Azerbaijan already carries out active extraction of hydrocarbon raw materials." He suggested that, during the entire negotiation process, Turkmenistan had adhered to the position that, until legal norms for determining jurisdiction in the area were defined, carrying out any activity in the disputed area was illegal. Berdimuhamedov asserted that "it is much more important for Turkmenistan to resolve the legal problem as a whole, rather than to dispute the ownership of certain geographic sectors." Turkmenistan recently proposed an arbitration method to resolve the dispute and the president instructed appropriate agencies to prepare documentation to submit for international arbitration. Berdimuhamedov underscored that his government would be "ready to accept any decision resulting from international arbitration," while not ruling out the possibility of a resumption of negotiations (Ref B). FOREIGN POLICY PRAGMATISM ¶8. (SBU) According to Berdimuhamedov, all foreign policy objectives of the state are subordinate to the main goal of economic, social and spiritual revival of the country. In order to reach that goal, Turkmenistan needs to position itself as a responsible member of the world community, ready to follow commonly accepted norms and values. The Turkmen leader said that, factoring in the stability of the Turkmen economy and the "attractiveness" of Turkmenistan's investment climate, "the most reputable companies from many countries seek to operate in the Turkmen market." He concluded by endorsing "maximum pragmatism" within Turkmenistan's foreign policy in order to achieve an improvement of people's lives in the country. ¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: As might be expected, Berdimuhamedov used the opportunity of the press conference to reiterate familiar Turkmen approaches to a range of foreign policy issues. The preponderant role of the UN in the international arena is a consistent and safe theme that appears throughout Turkmen foreign policy. The president's critical remarks on intervention in Afghanistan also track with Turkmenistan's non-interference approach to that country, which suits them as long as other countries shoulder the real burden of creating conditions necessary for Afghan stability. END COMMENT. CURRAN