Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT1624
2009-12-17 08:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: ROMANIAN RELATIONSHIP STRONGER
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001624
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019
TAGS: EPET PREL MD RO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ROMANIAN RELATIONSHIP STRONGER
POLITICALLY THAN ECONOMICALLY
REF: ASHGABAT 0948
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 001624
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019
TAGS: EPET PREL MD RO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ROMANIAN RELATIONSHIP STRONGER
POLITICALLY THAN ECONOMICALLY
REF: ASHGABAT 0948
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (B) a
nd (D).
1. (C) On December 14, Poloff met with Romanian Embassy
Political Officer Laurentiu Ciocan to discuss Romania's
relationship with Turkmenistan. Ciocan described relations
as limited, especially in the economic arena. There is only
one Romanian company in Turkmenistan with Romanian employees
-- Petrom, an oil and gas company. Two other Romanian
companies have a local presence, but their offices are run by
Turkmen employees. A Romanian construction company closed in
2008, for reasons that Ciocan did not specify. He mentioned
that it was hard to convince Romanian companies to come to
Turkmenistan because of the difficult investment climate. He
then joked that, in Turkmenistan, "there are only two speeds,
stop and reverse."
2. (C) Politically, the Romanians have a more robust
relationship with Turkmenistan, although they only have three
diplomats at their embassy in Ashgabat. Ciocan noted that
there were six high-level visits between the two countries
during the last two years, including two presidential visits,
two parliamentary visits, and several trips by the ministers
of foreign affairs (reftel). The last of these trips was by
Turkmenistan's Parliamentary Chairperson Akja Nurberdiyeva to
meet with her Romanian counterpart in September.
3. (C) The Romanian Government sponsors study programs for
about 50 students from Turkmenistan. There are two distinct
official programs. One is run and paid for entirely by the
Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The other is
governed by a joint agreement between the Romanian MFA and
the Turkmenistan Ministry of Education, but still paid for by
the Romanian MFA. Turkmen students can also study in
Romanian universities independently of an official program,
assuming they are willing to pay the tuition themselves. The
Turkmen students in Romania study technical specialties,
including oil and gas, electricity, and economics. Ciocan
said they had not had any trouble getting permission for
Turkmen students to study in Romania, but that it had taken a
long time to get the initial agreement (NOTE: Romanian
Ambassador Radu Horumba told us that the final document was
hammered together during Berdimuhamedov's visit to Romania in
2008. Horumba (strictly protect) has complained about the
preparation of the students chosen by the Ministry of
Education. The Romanians had planned to provide language
training, but were dismayed to learn that the students also
lacked an understanding of basic math and science, even
though they were to study engineering and oil and gas. END
NOTE.)
4. (C) Ciocan told Poloff that there were probably only about
50 Romanian citizens in Turkmenistan, including the Embassy
employees and their families. The majority of the Romanian
citizens work either for French construction firm Bouygues or
for offshore oil projects. However, the Romanian embassy
also assists Moldovans who are trying to regain Romanian
citizenship. Moldovans who had Romanian citizenship from the
period when Moldova was part of Romania, as well as their
children and grandchildren, are eligible. Ciocan noted that
although there are many Moldovans still in Turkmenistan, most
of the potential Romanian citizenship cases had already been
resolved.
5. (C) COMMENT: Ciocan was fairly downbeat about
Turkmenistan, but it was unclear whether he was making jokes
about the country for Poloff's benefit, or whether he truly
believed what he was saying. He said that he would prefer to
only serve in Turkmenistan for two years, instead of the four
ASHGABAT 00001624 002 OF 002
that he was committed to. He added that the country reminded
him of Romania under Ceausescu (a remark his ambassador has
often shared). Romania's relations with Turkmenistan will
probably remain limited, unless the Nabucco pipeline is built
and Turkmenistan gas starts flowing through it. However,
Ciocan's comments indicated that the Romanian Government
would like to expand economic interaction with Turkmenistan,
particularly in the energy sphere since Nabucco is a Romanian
priority. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019
TAGS: EPET PREL MD RO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ROMANIAN RELATIONSHIP STRONGER
POLITICALLY THAN ECONOMICALLY
REF: ASHGABAT 0948
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (B) a
nd (D).
1. (C) On December 14, Poloff met with Romanian Embassy
Political Officer Laurentiu Ciocan to discuss Romania's
relationship with Turkmenistan. Ciocan described relations
as limited, especially in the economic arena. There is only
one Romanian company in Turkmenistan with Romanian employees
-- Petrom, an oil and gas company. Two other Romanian
companies have a local presence, but their offices are run by
Turkmen employees. A Romanian construction company closed in
2008, for reasons that Ciocan did not specify. He mentioned
that it was hard to convince Romanian companies to come to
Turkmenistan because of the difficult investment climate. He
then joked that, in Turkmenistan, "there are only two speeds,
stop and reverse."
2. (C) Politically, the Romanians have a more robust
relationship with Turkmenistan, although they only have three
diplomats at their embassy in Ashgabat. Ciocan noted that
there were six high-level visits between the two countries
during the last two years, including two presidential visits,
two parliamentary visits, and several trips by the ministers
of foreign affairs (reftel). The last of these trips was by
Turkmenistan's Parliamentary Chairperson Akja Nurberdiyeva to
meet with her Romanian counterpart in September.
3. (C) The Romanian Government sponsors study programs for
about 50 students from Turkmenistan. There are two distinct
official programs. One is run and paid for entirely by the
Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The other is
governed by a joint agreement between the Romanian MFA and
the Turkmenistan Ministry of Education, but still paid for by
the Romanian MFA. Turkmen students can also study in
Romanian universities independently of an official program,
assuming they are willing to pay the tuition themselves. The
Turkmen students in Romania study technical specialties,
including oil and gas, electricity, and economics. Ciocan
said they had not had any trouble getting permission for
Turkmen students to study in Romania, but that it had taken a
long time to get the initial agreement (NOTE: Romanian
Ambassador Radu Horumba told us that the final document was
hammered together during Berdimuhamedov's visit to Romania in
2008. Horumba (strictly protect) has complained about the
preparation of the students chosen by the Ministry of
Education. The Romanians had planned to provide language
training, but were dismayed to learn that the students also
lacked an understanding of basic math and science, even
though they were to study engineering and oil and gas. END
NOTE.)
4. (C) Ciocan told Poloff that there were probably only about
50 Romanian citizens in Turkmenistan, including the Embassy
employees and their families. The majority of the Romanian
citizens work either for French construction firm Bouygues or
for offshore oil projects. However, the Romanian embassy
also assists Moldovans who are trying to regain Romanian
citizenship. Moldovans who had Romanian citizenship from the
period when Moldova was part of Romania, as well as their
children and grandchildren, are eligible. Ciocan noted that
although there are many Moldovans still in Turkmenistan, most
of the potential Romanian citizenship cases had already been
resolved.
5. (C) COMMENT: Ciocan was fairly downbeat about
Turkmenistan, but it was unclear whether he was making jokes
about the country for Poloff's benefit, or whether he truly
believed what he was saying. He said that he would prefer to
only serve in Turkmenistan for two years, instead of the four
ASHGABAT 00001624 002 OF 002
that he was committed to. He added that the country reminded
him of Romania under Ceausescu (a remark his ambassador has
often shared). Romania's relations with Turkmenistan will
probably remain limited, unless the Nabucco pipeline is built
and Turkmenistan gas starts flowing through it. However,
Ciocan's comments indicated that the Romanian Government
would like to expand economic interaction with Turkmenistan,
particularly in the energy sphere since Nabucco is a Romanian
priority. END COMMENT.
CURRAN