TURKMENISTAN: CHANGE IN VISA REGIME WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001646 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2019 TAGS: PREL UZ TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CHANGE IN VISA REGIME WITH UZBEKISTAN A SIGN OF CLOSER TIES REF: ASHGABAT 1130 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (B) a nd (D). ¶1. (SBU) On December 13, the day before the opening of the Turkmenistan-China pipeline, President Karimov of Uzbekistan had official meetings with Turkmenistan President Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat. The presidents signed four documents, including a joint communiqu and a cooperation agreement between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. An agreement on expanding cooperation into the fields of science, culture, and technology, among other things, also included a segment about loosening the visa regime for residents of both sides of the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border. Once the agreement goes into effect, residents of Dashoguz and Lebap provinces and their neighbors in Uzbekistan, will be able to travel to the other country for three days without a visa. According to Ilyos Makhamadaliev, the Counselor at the Uzbekistan Embassy in Ashgabat, this was partially done to improve trade, but also done to improve relations between two "brotherly" people. ¶2. (C) Makhamadaliev noted that improving trade between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was a priority for Uzbekistan. He said his government was particularly interested in industry, textiles, and the energy sector, although to date those were not areas of much cooperation (reftel). Makhamadaliev said that the presidents talked about regional energy issues, and that Turkmenistan supported Uzbekistan's proposals on regional water resources and did not have any concerns about Uzbekistan's withdrawal from the Central Asian energy grid. Makhamadaliev insisted that Turkmenistan's views are in line with Uzbekistan's on regional energy. For example, he said that Turkmenistan agreed that before Tajikistan is allowed to build a hydroelectric station, the consequences for the downstream countries should be studied. The Uzbekistan President has also proposed that if permission for the hydroelectric station is granted, then its construction should be monitored by an international organization. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Makhamadaliev emphasized, as he has in the past, that the good relationship between the Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan presidents makes his job easy. We know that Berdimuhamedov's views do not completely coincide with the Uzbeks on regional energy, but that may have not been shared with the Uzbeks or Makhamadaliev may have chosen not to share any conveyed differences with us. Makhamadaliev seemed upbeat in general about politics in the region and the benefits of the new Turkmenistan-China pipeline, which he said would benefit Uzbekistan in terms of new pipeline infrastructure and more jobs, and because his government could sell Uzbek gas to China. The easing of the visa regime, even if only for those that live near the border, seems to be a concrete sign of this political good will. END COMMENT. CURRAN