TURKMENISTAN: BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON KEY NEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000135 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL, EEB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV PINR TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON KEY NEW APPOINTEES REF: A. ASHGABAT 81 ¶B. ASHGABAT 114 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) During the past two weeks, President Berdimuhamedov has replaced 17 senior officials to include one Deputy Cabinet Minister, three ministers, the directors of five major state enterprises, one significant committee chair, heads of four security-related agencies, the head of the Supreme Control Chamber and a provincial governor. During a dramatic January 15 Cabinet of Ministers meeting, Berdimuhamedov fired a significant number of officials for "grave shortcomings in their work" during 2008, which locals say most often signals work-related corruption (ref A). ¶3. (SBU) The President also reprimanded some of those who managed to hold on to their positions, including Deputy Chairman for Oil and Gas Tagiyev. The television broadcast showed the President admonishing some officials and then firing some, who he then told to leave the room. Local residents opined that the President appeared to be especially insulting and demeaning, using a tone reminiscent of the Niyazov era. The camera followed almost all of the fired officials as they trudged to the exit, a practice not seen before on state television. On January 21, during a National Security Council meeting, the president appointed new heads for all the security-related agencies except for the Ministries of National Security and Internal Affairs (ref B). Post gathered the following biographic information about some of the newly-appointed officials. ¶4. (SBU) Tuvakmammed JAPAROV, Deputy Chairman for Economy and Finance, Cabinet of Ministers. Born in 1967 in Uzynsuw village in Bereket, Balkan province. Japarov graduated in 1993 from the Turkmen Polytechnic Institute, although he had begun his higher education at the Moscow Construction Engineering Institute. He majored in mechanical engineering. He worked from 1984-1987 as a mechanic in the auto transport division at the Turkmennebit oil enterprise in Balkanabat. From 1993-1999 after completing compulsory military duty and his studies at the institutes, he became chairman of the Yardam joint stock company in Balkanabat. He also worked as an accountant at the Balkan Oil and Gas Construction Trust and as an inspector for the State Tax Service in Balkan, later becoming the head of the State Tax Service in Balkan. From 1999-2005 he worked as Chief Specialist in the Cabinet of Ministers, handling income and expenditure issues connected to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the State Tax Service. From 2005-2007 Japarov held the post of Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, then in early 2007 he was named First Deputy Minister. In November 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Supreme Auditing Chamber. (NOTE: As Supreme Auditing Chamber chairman, Japarov supported cooperation with USAID and implementing partner Bearing Point that placed a public sector audit and accounting advisor in the Chamber's offices. The advisor spent two months there providing training to chamber staff on audit standards financial and performance audits, and prepared a capacity development plan for the office. END NOTE.) ¶5. (U) Orazdurdy HAJYMURADOV, Director of Turkmen Oil State Concern. Born in 1949 in Gyzylbayyr village of Etrek district in Balkan. Hajymuradov graduated from the Turkmen Polytechnical Institute in 1971, majoring in the technology and mechanization of oil and gas field development. From 1971-1979 he held various positions, first in a drilling office in Guyjik, then in an offshore drilling office in Cheleken. From 1984-1997 he worked in Turkmennebit's Goturdepe drilling department. From 1997-1998 he was the chief engineer of a well maintenance department in ASHGABAT 00000135 002 OF 003 Turkmennebit. From 1998-2007 he served first as chief of Burnebitgaz enterprise, then chief of Nebitgazduypliabadanlayysh, an oil and gas initial field development enterprise, then became chief of a drilling office in Nebitdag city. From 2007 until his January appointment as Chairman of the Turkmen Oil Concern, he was director of an oil and gas field development institute ("Nebitgazduypliabadanlayysh"). ¶6. (U) Yarmuhammet ORAZGULYEV, Minister of Energy and Industry. Born in 1960, in Ahal village of Gokdepe district in Ahal province, Orazgulyev graduated from the Turkmen Polytechnical Institute in 1982 with a major in electrical engineering. After his graduation he worked for two years as the manager of an electricity substation of the Kerpichli gas extraction department in the joint venture TurkmenGazprom. Before 1995 he was senior engineer of the technical production department of the Goktepe enterprise Etrapobaenergo, then chief engineer for a contruction materials enterprise. He then became chief engineer at the Ahalsuwhojalyk water management enterprise. From 2003-2006 he worked as chief power engineer in the Obasuwhyzmat energy administration, the Ahalbatlayyshsuwhojalyk water supply and pipeline maintenance enterprise, the Gokdepesuwhojalyk water management enterprise, then was made director of the Geoktepe district electricity network. Before the end of 2006 he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Dowletenergogozegchilik (state energy management) enterprise within Turkmenenergo. In May 2006 President Niyazov appointed him First Deputy Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman of Turkmenenergo Corporation. He may have been relieved of this position after Berdimuhamedov came into office. In May 2007, he was appointed First Deputy Minister and Turkmenenergo Chairman once again, where he remained until September 2007. He was then appointed Deputy Minister of Energy and Industry of Turkmenistan, where he remained until his appointment as Minister in January 2009. ¶7. (U) Ovlyaguly JUMAGULYEV, Ministry of Communication. Born in 1955 in Ersarybaba village in Lebap province. He graduated in 1977 from the Tashkent Electro-Technical Institute with a major in communications engineering. From 1978-1993 he worked first at the Turkmenaragatnashyk communications enterprise in Turkmenabat city, became chief of a line and technical division for the Karabekaul district communications system, then was named chief engineer of the Agropromenergo enterprise. From 1993-2004 he headed an industrial electricity network division for the local government in Lamma. He was named manager of the Karabekaul communications network, then was appointed deputy director of the same network. From 2004-2009 he served as director of the Lebaptelecom provincial telephone enterprise. ¶8. (U) Aynabat BABAYEVA, Chairman of State Joint Stock Corporation Turkmenhaly (Turkmen Carpet). Born in 1966 in Ashgabat, Babayeva graduated from the Turkmen Institute of Economy and Management, having majored in economics. In 1984 she worked as a records clerk in the Ashgabat committee of the Communist Party. After graduation from the institute, she worked as a chief specialist in the economic department of the Ministry of Grain Products (now Grain Association) from 1990-1994. From 1994-2002 Babayeva served as a leading specialist, then deputy manager, manager of a non-food products division, and later chief of a products, services and internal market coordination division in the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations. From 2002-2009 she was the chief of a sewing division in the Ministry of Textile Industry. ¶9. (SBU) Gurbanmammet ELYASOV, Chairman of the State Tourism and Sports Committee. Before 2007 Elyasov was ASHGABAT 00000135 003 OF 003 Director of the Treatment and Consultative Center named after Niyazov in the Ministry of Health and Pharmaceutical Industry. In March 2007 he was named Deputy Minister for Health and Pharmaceutical Industry responsible for the organization of treatment and preventative assistance. (NOTE: While Deputy Minister, Elyasov was supportive of USAID projects. The Tourism and Sports Committee has significant responsibilities in making the Avaza National Tourist Zone a reality. END NOTE.) MILES