Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT401
2009-03-30 11:51:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
LONGTIME COMMERCIAL RESIDENT POSTULATES ON ROOTS
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000401
SIPDIS
SCA/CEN; EEB
PLEASE PASS TO USTDA DAN STEIN
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL EINV EPET TX
SUBJECT: LONGTIME COMMERCIAL RESIDENT POSTULATES ON ROOTS
OF THE TROUBLED U.S.-TURKMEN RELATIONSHIP
Classified By: Charge Ambassador Richard Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000401
SIPDIS
SCA/CEN; EEB
PLEASE PASS TO USTDA DAN STEIN
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL EINV EPET TX
SUBJECT: LONGTIME COMMERCIAL RESIDENT POSTULATES ON ROOTS
OF THE TROUBLED U.S.-TURKMEN RELATIONSHIP
Classified By: Charge Ambassador Richard Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A long-time Amcit commercial resident of
Turkmenistan told a recent visitor that U.S. influence here
has been curbed in part because of changes in U.S. policy
over the last 15 years, but also because of the historical
missteps of U.S. energy giants who abandoned difficult and
costly sub-salt projects here in the 1990s. The failed
effort to promote the construction of a trans-Caspian
pipeline almost ten years ago also left Turkmen officials
wondering if the United States could commit to a strong and
lasting bilateral relationship, he said. In spite of the
fact that so many of the faces have changed in the Turkmen
Government, officials here still retain an institutional
memory of perceived U.S. failures to establish itself here as
a reliable, enduring partner in the country's development, he
said. Although these opinions are the manager's own, and
other factors undoubtedly have played a role, they remind us
that current U.S. interests can be affected by past missteps.
END SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) On March 19, Mr. Edward Chow, a visiting scholar
from the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS) met with the American Citizen country manager
for the German Bertling Logistics Company. The manager has a
unique perspective on Turkmen business and politics, as he
has lived and worked in Turkmenistan for more than 15 years.
He described himself as an ethnic Kazakh and longtime student
of Central Asian history, politics, and culture. Bertling's
work in the oil and gas sector here is broad, and the company
maintains bases in Cheleken, Yoloten, Nebit Dag, and
Dovletabad, and provides services to state enterprises as
well as foreign companies CNPC, Petronas, and Burren, he said.
¶3. (C) When asked for his opinion regarding why the Turkmen
Government is not more receptive to an expanded U.S.
commercial presence here, the manager identified three
historical drivers that have limited the government's respect
for the United States, and said that these data points have
not been forgotten. He further opined that European states
were unlikely to fill the gap caused by the absence of a