Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT1331
2009-10-23 09:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: PICKLED SEWAGE POSES PROBLEMS FOR
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001331
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2019
TAGS: EINV EPET PGOV SENV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: PICKLED SEWAGE POSES PROBLEMS FOR
AVAZA TOURIST SITE
REF: A. ASHGABAT 0769
B. ASHGABAT 0154
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (B) a
nd (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001331
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2019
TAGS: EINV EPET PGOV SENV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: PICKLED SEWAGE POSES PROBLEMS FOR
AVAZA TOURIST SITE
REF: A. ASHGABAT 0769
B. ASHGABAT 0154
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (B) a
nd (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: Turkmenistan has numerous polluted bodies of
water that the President has ordered cleaned, but an American
businessman's experience shows that the process of getting
clean-up projects approved is arduous. One potential
clean-up site, Lake Simonova, is near the Avaza tourist site
and involves a mix of sewage, oil, and salt. The American
businessman's experience shows that patience, finding ways to
work around the climate of fear, and creatively helping the
Turkmen officials benefit from projects are the keys to doing
business in Turkmenistan. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) An AMCIT businessman who works on environmental
projects in Turkmenistan told Poloff about a possible new
project to clean a lake near the Avaza tourist site (Ref A).
Lake Simonova lies between the city of Turkmenbashi and the
Avaza tourist site, meaning that most tourists going to Avaza
would have to pass the lake, which is currently polluted with
sewage, oil, and salt. The result is, in the words of the
businessman, a lake full of "pickled sewage."
3. (C) The proposal for this clean-up project builds on
another of the businessman's projects already underway to
clean an oily lake north of Hazar (Ref B). This project
foresees a profit for both the company and the Turkmen
Government by selling the recovered oil and splitting the
revenues. However, the businessman does not expect the
proposed project to clean Lake Simonova to net a profit
because the sewage and salt, in addition to oil, will make
the clean-up process more difficult. There is also less oil
to be recovered because another company had started work on
the site, extracted the mineral oil that they could sell, and
then quit.
4. (C) According to the AMCIT, the Turkmen Government does
not have the technology to clean the lake themselves, but
they have not yet approved the U.S. company's proposal. At
the same time, they must do the clean-up because it was
ordered by President Berdimuhamedov. The businessman
speculated that there are two obstacles. One is that the
Turkmen Government is not ready to commit to buying the
equipment for the project because it is expensive and the
cost would only just be recovered by the oil sold. The other
is that the government officials who need to approve the
project have not yet figured out what they personally would
gain, and so they are waiting. There are numerous other
bodies of water around Turkmenistan that need cleaning, but
the government is apparently only putting out tenders for one
project at a time.
5. (C) The American businessman noted that his experience in
Turkmenistan had taught him that it is important to find a
way for the Turkmen side to benefit from business deals,
whether financially or by increasing their prestige. He
added that it is also important to understand that fear is
built into the culture, and everyone fears their boss and
berates their subordinates. Building trust takes a long
time, but introductions can be sped up by finding someone of
your interlocutor's tribe to speak for your side. People of
the same tribe are considered family, and so the building
trust phase can be skipped and work started immediately.
6. (C) COMMENT: This AMCIT's experience with getting
contracts approved shows that patience is vital to being able
to do business in Turkmenistan. The current project took 8
months to finalize, and involved traveling to the region and
knocking on officials' doors. The process could be sped up
with bribes, which is what Turkmen officials seem to expect
from foreign companies, but the AMCIT made it clear that his
ASHGABAT 00001331 002 OF 002
company could not do that. The argument that the project is
in the best interest of the country is rarely enough to
convince bureaucrats to approve it; they often are looking
for benefits closer to home. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2019
TAGS: EINV EPET PGOV SENV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: PICKLED SEWAGE POSES PROBLEMS FOR
AVAZA TOURIST SITE
REF: A. ASHGABAT 0769
B. ASHGABAT 0154
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (B) a
nd (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: Turkmenistan has numerous polluted bodies of
water that the President has ordered cleaned, but an American
businessman's experience shows that the process of getting
clean-up projects approved is arduous. One potential
clean-up site, Lake Simonova, is near the Avaza tourist site
and involves a mix of sewage, oil, and salt. The American
businessman's experience shows that patience, finding ways to
work around the climate of fear, and creatively helping the
Turkmen officials benefit from projects are the keys to doing
business in Turkmenistan. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) An AMCIT businessman who works on environmental
projects in Turkmenistan told Poloff about a possible new
project to clean a lake near the Avaza tourist site (Ref A).
Lake Simonova lies between the city of Turkmenbashi and the
Avaza tourist site, meaning that most tourists going to Avaza
would have to pass the lake, which is currently polluted with
sewage, oil, and salt. The result is, in the words of the
businessman, a lake full of "pickled sewage."
3. (C) The proposal for this clean-up project builds on
another of the businessman's projects already underway to
clean an oily lake north of Hazar (Ref B). This project
foresees a profit for both the company and the Turkmen
Government by selling the recovered oil and splitting the
revenues. However, the businessman does not expect the
proposed project to clean Lake Simonova to net a profit
because the sewage and salt, in addition to oil, will make
the clean-up process more difficult. There is also less oil
to be recovered because another company had started work on
the site, extracted the mineral oil that they could sell, and
then quit.
4. (C) According to the AMCIT, the Turkmen Government does
not have the technology to clean the lake themselves, but
they have not yet approved the U.S. company's proposal. At
the same time, they must do the clean-up because it was
ordered by President Berdimuhamedov. The businessman
speculated that there are two obstacles. One is that the
Turkmen Government is not ready to commit to buying the
equipment for the project because it is expensive and the
cost would only just be recovered by the oil sold. The other
is that the government officials who need to approve the
project have not yet figured out what they personally would
gain, and so they are waiting. There are numerous other
bodies of water around Turkmenistan that need cleaning, but
the government is apparently only putting out tenders for one
project at a time.
5. (C) The American businessman noted that his experience in
Turkmenistan had taught him that it is important to find a
way for the Turkmen side to benefit from business deals,
whether financially or by increasing their prestige. He
added that it is also important to understand that fear is
built into the culture, and everyone fears their boss and
berates their subordinates. Building trust takes a long
time, but introductions can be sped up by finding someone of
your interlocutor's tribe to speak for your side. People of
the same tribe are considered family, and so the building
trust phase can be skipped and work started immediately.
6. (C) COMMENT: This AMCIT's experience with getting
contracts approved shows that patience is vital to being able
to do business in Turkmenistan. The current project took 8
months to finalize, and involved traveling to the region and
knocking on officials' doors. The process could be sped up
with bribes, which is what Turkmen officials seem to expect
from foreign companies, but the AMCIT made it clear that his
ASHGABAT 00001331 002 OF 002
company could not do that. The argument that the project is
in the best interest of the country is rarely enough to
convince bureaucrats to approve it; they often are looking
for benefits closer to home. END COMMENT.
CURRAN