Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT209
2009-02-10 13:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: ALL EYES ARE ON THE RED CAYENNE
how-toVZCZCXRO7317 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #0209 0411305 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 101305Z FEB 09 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2307 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4825 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2607 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2472 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3069 RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3333 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000209
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ALL EYES ARE ON THE RED CAYENNE
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000209
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ALL EYES ARE ON THE RED CAYENNE
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public internet.
2. (U) The first Porsche Cayenne V8 SUV, with a reported purchase
price of $93,000, has been seen cruising the streets of Ashgabat the
past few weeks, attracting much attention. It is the first
privately-owned vehicle of its kind - the first Porsche ever, in
fact - to successfully get around the Government's unofficial
restriction on the importation of high-priced, luxury cars.
2. (U) Owning expensive, imported cars had been effectively
prohibited during the rule of late President Niyazov: There was an
unwritten law that that vehicles valued at more than $50,000 could
not receive customs clearance. The few luxury vehicles that somehow
managed to evade the ban were later confiscated by the Ministry of
National Security or the Prosecutor's office. Similarly, driving a
Mercedes S600 was reportedly also forbidden, not because of its
value, but because the late President owned such a car. (NOTE: A
retired official from the (former) State Committee for Statistics,
an acquaintance of one of our local staff, said that he once saw
hundreds of brand new, confiscated foreign-made cars parked at the
garage of the Ministry of National Security. END NOTE.)
3. (U) After President Niyazov's death, the streets of Ashgabat were
suddenly full of Mercedes, BMWs, even some Cadillacs, many with old
series license plates, indicating that the cars had been registered
many years before. Their owners, fearing confiscation, had
reportedly been afraid to take the cars out of the garage.
4. (SBU) The new, bright red Porsche Cayenne is said to be the
property of star footballer, Vahit Orazsahedov, who plays for the
Russian club "Rubin" in Tatarstan. The car was reportedly a gift
from the president of Tatarstan, Mintimir Shaimiev. It apparently
took Orazsahedov nearly six months to get permission to bring his
Porsche back to Ashgabat, and then only after appealing directly to
President Berdimuhamedov, who is said to have personally signed the
customs forms allowing importation of the car.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: The fact that the Porsche was a gift from
Shaimiev may be one reason why the owner was able to import it.
Berdimuhamedov paid a two-day visit to Tatarstan in late June 2008,
and Shaimiev visited Ashgabat July 5 as part of Russian President
Medvedev's visit to the country. Shaimiev and Berdimuhamedov had
good bilateral meetings during both visits. It is unlikely that
President Berdimuhamedov would want Shaimiev to lose face or would
want to cause problems by not allowing a gift from the President of
Tatarstan to enter the country. According to Russian diplomats
here, Russia wants to encourage close contacts between Tatarstan and
Turkmenistan, and believe that the two entities have much in common,
including Islamic culture and hydrocarbons.
6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: The Turkmen Government recently
purchased 200 new, specially equipped Mercedes C280s at a cost of
70,000 Euros each. By all accounts, however, the few private
citizens with the means to purchase high-end cars can still do so
only with great difficulty. END COMMENT.
MILES
3
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ALL EYES ARE ON THE RED CAYENNE
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public internet.
2. (U) The first Porsche Cayenne V8 SUV, with a reported purchase
price of $93,000, has been seen cruising the streets of Ashgabat the
past few weeks, attracting much attention. It is the first
privately-owned vehicle of its kind - the first Porsche ever, in
fact - to successfully get around the Government's unofficial
restriction on the importation of high-priced, luxury cars.
2. (U) Owning expensive, imported cars had been effectively
prohibited during the rule of late President Niyazov: There was an
unwritten law that that vehicles valued at more than $50,000 could
not receive customs clearance. The few luxury vehicles that somehow
managed to evade the ban were later confiscated by the Ministry of
National Security or the Prosecutor's office. Similarly, driving a
Mercedes S600 was reportedly also forbidden, not because of its
value, but because the late President owned such a car. (NOTE: A
retired official from the (former) State Committee for Statistics,
an acquaintance of one of our local staff, said that he once saw
hundreds of brand new, confiscated foreign-made cars parked at the
garage of the Ministry of National Security. END NOTE.)
3. (U) After President Niyazov's death, the streets of Ashgabat were
suddenly full of Mercedes, BMWs, even some Cadillacs, many with old
series license plates, indicating that the cars had been registered
many years before. Their owners, fearing confiscation, had
reportedly been afraid to take the cars out of the garage.
4. (SBU) The new, bright red Porsche Cayenne is said to be the
property of star footballer, Vahit Orazsahedov, who plays for the
Russian club "Rubin" in Tatarstan. The car was reportedly a gift
from the president of Tatarstan, Mintimir Shaimiev. It apparently
took Orazsahedov nearly six months to get permission to bring his
Porsche back to Ashgabat, and then only after appealing directly to
President Berdimuhamedov, who is said to have personally signed the
customs forms allowing importation of the car.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: The fact that the Porsche was a gift from
Shaimiev may be one reason why the owner was able to import it.
Berdimuhamedov paid a two-day visit to Tatarstan in late June 2008,
and Shaimiev visited Ashgabat July 5 as part of Russian President
Medvedev's visit to the country. Shaimiev and Berdimuhamedov had
good bilateral meetings during both visits. It is unlikely that
President Berdimuhamedov would want Shaimiev to lose face or would
want to cause problems by not allowing a gift from the President of
Tatarstan to enter the country. According to Russian diplomats
here, Russia wants to encourage close contacts between Tatarstan and
Turkmenistan, and believe that the two entities have much in common,
including Islamic culture and hydrocarbons.
6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: The Turkmen Government recently
purchased 200 new, specially equipped Mercedes C280s at a cost of
70,000 Euros each. By all accounts, however, the few private
citizens with the means to purchase high-end cars can still do so
only with great difficulty. END COMMENT.
MILES
3