TURKMENISTAN: DECEMBER MEDIA REACTION - PRODUCTIVE STATE

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000020 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, IIP, ECA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV SCUL KPAO TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: DECEMBER MEDIA REACTION - PRODUCTIVE STATE MEDIA COOPERATION ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: State media coverage of post events was positive in December. In fact, in some cases, such as holiday messages, the Embassy had a higher profile than other foreign missions in country. In one case, post was able to obtain belated coverage of an event (a Peace Corps swearing-in ceremony) even though no state media attended. END SUMMARY. STATE MEDIA HIGHLIGHT EMBASSY OFFICIALS' MESSAGES ¶3. (SBU) On December 30, "Turkmenistan" TV channel (Russian, Turkmen, English, Chinese, Arabian, Persian, French) carried an accurate and complete translation of the New Year's Day message by post's Charg d'Affaires. In contrast to messages by many other foreign missions, the Charge's was more personable and focused on the holiday celebration rather than simply bilateral relations. ¶4. (SBU) On December 31, the same TV channel carried another message by post's Public Affairs Officer who outlined the various holiday celebrations in the United States, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, etc. (NOTE: The channel was originally planning to run a series of cultural attach interviews on how the holidays are celebrated in each represented country. However, the U.S. Embassy was the only one featured in this report on "holiday preparations." END NOTE.) ¶5. (U) On December 24, "Turkmenistan" TV channel and the "Watan" TV evening news program (Turkmen) carried accurate remarks by the Charge on the adoption of the draft UN Resolution for pipeline reliability, which had been sponsored by Turkmenistan. ¶6. (U) On December 12, "Turkmenistan" TV channel accurately carried a congratulatory message by the Charge on Turkmenistan's Neutrality Day. MEDIA HIGHLIGHT JAZZ MUSICIANS TOUR ¶7. (U) On December 16, the "Watan" TV evening news program highlighted the Ari Roland Jazz Quartet's public performance in Ashgabat, giving accurate details of their visit. On December 18, "Turkmenistan" TV channel (Russian, Turkmen, English, Chinese, Arabian, Persian, French) carried broader coverage of the concert with interview remarks by embassy officials and group members. The following day, coverage by the state-run dailies "Neytralniy Turkmenistan" (Russian, circ. 44,991) and "Turkmenistan" (Turkmen, circ. 33,391) was also accurate. In addition, the same articles were posted on the government website "Turkmenistan Golden Age" (Turkmen, Russian, English) STATE NEWSPAPER PRAISES PEACE CORPS IN TURKMENISTAN ¶8. (SBU) On December 25, the state-run daily "Neytralniy Turkmenistan" (Russian, circ. 44,991) ran a story on the Peace Corps annual swearing-in ceremony, hailing Peace Corps cooperation in Turkmenistan and highlighting new volunteers who spoke or performed in the Turkmen language. (NOTE: The event actually took place on December 5 and was not covered by any state media until PAS prodded a trusted journalist contact. END NOTE.) ¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: Our coverage in the media during December was generally positive. Despite some recent concerns that state media was becoming less open to covering USG events, it was definitely not the case in December. END COMMENT. MILES