TURKMENISTAN RE-ESTABLISHES ITS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000767

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TSPL PGOV TPHY SCUL SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN RE-ESTABLISHES ITS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On June 12, President Berdimuhamedov signed
a decree re-establishing the Academy of Sciences of
Turkmenistan as the country's premier scientific institution.
It marked the end of the Supreme Council for Science and
Technology, a forward-looking USG partner in several
education-related projects. According to the official media,
the action was taken in order to streamline Turkmenistan's
scientific and technology policy, facilitate the increased
application of new technologies to the economy, work out state
programs for scientific and technical development, and
efficiently implement those programs. END SUMMARY


3. (SBU) The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan (then
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic) was first established in

1951. It was closed by former President Niyazov as part of
his policy geared towards suppressing science and education.
Replaced by the Supreme Council on Science and Technology, the
new institution never received adequate financing under the
Niyazov regime. In 2007, President Berdimuhamedov allowed re-
establishment of the Academy of Sciences as a public
association, but without any provision for state funding. In
June 2008, he announced that the Academy of Sciences of
Turkmenistan would be re-established as a state-financed body,
but it was only one year later on June 12 that he signed the
relevant decree.


4. (SBU) The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan will be
based at the building of the now abolished Supreme Council on
Science and Technology and will inherit all the assets of that
organization. The Academy will also assume the functions of
the Supreme Council and take over research institutes that
used to be under the Supreme Council's umbrella plus six
research institutes that are either newly established or were
under various other governmental agencies. Whereas the
Supreme Council was subordinate to the President of
Turkmenistan, the High Attestation Committee was also
transferred to the Academy and made subordinate to the Cabinet
of Ministers.


5. (SBU) COMMENT: At this point it is not clear whether the
re-establishment of the Academy will really facilitate the
development of science in Turkmenistan or is nothing more than
just the new name of the previously existing organization.
The situation will become clearer when the statute of the
Academy is adopted and it will start functioning at the full
swing. At this point, the fact that the Academy will be run
by a new team might indicate that there will be changes in the
way the development of science is coordinated.


6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: Gurbnamurat Mezilov, the newly
appointed acting President of the Academy of Sciences, is
known to Post because of educational work at the Pedagogical
Institute in Turkmenabat. He is known for having delayed or
interfered with English language fellow workshops at the
Institute in Turkmenabat -- even programs that had been
approved by the government, once requiring the intervention of
Ministry of Education's Nury Bayramov, who himself is usually
obstructionist, to allow the workshop to take place. Former
Deputy Chairwoman of the Supreme Council, Akjeren Allanurova, a
strong support of USG programs, was reassigned as the provost
for scientific work at Turkmen Polytechnical Institute. END
COMMENT

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