NATO LIAISON PESSIMISTIC ABOUT COOPERATION WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000741

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2019
TAGS: MARR PREL NATO TX
SUBJECT: NATO LIAISON PESSIMISTIC ABOUT COOPERATION WITH
TURKMENISTAN

REF: ASHGABAT 677

Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) On June 10, visiting NATO Liaison officer, Evan Tracz,
painted a negative picture about NATO-Turkmenistan
cooperation for a group of political officers from the
Polish, German, UK, Turkish and U.S. Embassies. The reason
for Tracz's meetings with Turkmen officials was to solicit
their renewed interest in NATO's Science for Peace and
Security program. In the case of Turkmenistan, NATO proposed
a project to remediate Soviet-era radioactive waste from
iodine and bromide plants in Hazar and Balkanabat. Soviet
practice involved mixing the radioactive waste with coal and
setting it aside. According to Tracz, NATO delivered
remediation assistance a few years ago, providing
consultations and some equipment. Following the February
visit of NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and
Central Asia, Robert Simmons, it was agreed to restart the
radioactive material remediation project. Tracz's current
visit was the follow-up to that proposal, but Tracz said the
meetings with Turkmen officials were not productive. The
Turkmen side was waiting for suggestions from NATO. Although
the Turkmenkhimiya State Concern was the state agency dealing
with the problem, Tracz remarked that "they treat it like a
secret." He also mentioned that a Russian company had been
hired by the Turkmen to deal with some of the radioactive
materials (reftel). Tracz said NATO "will not keep knocking
on the door and will not follow-up on this project beyond
this visit if the Turkmen Government does not pursue it."


2. (C) The other area of potential NATO-Turkmenistan
cooperation that Tracz mentioned was a proposed seminar on
civil emergency planning. In Tracz' meeting at the Ministry
of Defense (MOD),it was mentioned that the existing Civil
Emergency Committee will be separated from the MOD and become
a ministry. At the same time, Tracz's impression was that
nothing has been done to implement this plan, although
Turkmen officials recognize the need for such a ministry
given the country's location in an earthquake zone. The
Turkmen side discussed this issue during the Simmons visit
and NATO proposed holding a civil emergency planning seminar
in Ashgabat on June 11-12. The Turkmen did not reply to the
offer until June 10, informing NATO that the seminar could
begin the next day. Tracz thought the seminar would take
place sometime later this year. He suggested that for NATO
cooperation it would be a big step forward in light of
Turkmenistan's neutrality policy and reluctance to engage
with NATO.


3. (C) During the Simmons visit, President Berdimuhamedov
gave a flat no to NATO's request for ISAF transit rights to
Afganistan. Instead, Turkmenistan handles overflight
approvals for ISAF flights on a bilateral basis, and has told
NATO that it prefers to continue that way. Nonetheless,
Tracz said he would raise the issue of a blanket overflight
for ISAF at NATO Headquarters as a way to relieve the burden
of obtaining permissions currently borne by the bilateral
missions. He suggested a graduated approach, first
requesting blanket overflight for emergency evacuations, and
next for humanitarian overflights.


4. (C) COMMENT: The Turkmen are unlikely to change their
preference for bilateral overflight arrangements and have
refused to grant blanket rights to anyone but the U.S.
Still, any cooperation with NATO such as the emergency
planning seminar would be noteworthy given the prominence
that the Turkmen attach to their neutrality policy. END
COMMENT.
MILES