TURKMENISTAN: AFGHAN OFFICIALS WERE NO-SHOWS AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000803

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN; INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2019
TAGS: SNAR PGOV OSCE AF TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: AFGHAN OFFICIALS WERE NO-SHOWS AT
OSCE COUNTERNARCOTICS TRAINING

Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) On June 26, Political Officer provided an overview of
INL cooperation with Turkmenistan to an OSCE-organized
counternarcotics training course for Customs officials
carried out at the Ashgabat "Golden Century" Customs Training
Center. The ten participants were supervisory-level
officials from throughout Turkmenistan. The four-week course
was divided into two weeks of basic training about
counternarcotics interdiction and two weeks of
train-the-trainer training for the same group. At the
conclusion of the course, the OSCE-sponsored trainers will
observe the Turkmen supervisors as they conduct training for
their subordinates. Melton said the participants were
already familiar with much of the substance of the course,
which had been planned especially to address the lack of
capacity among Afghan customs officials. He noted, however,
that the discussion of international agencies and cooperation
in the fight against illegal narcotics was new information
for the trainees, and that the overview of INL assistance to
Turkmenistan reinforced that message.


2. (C) The training was carried out by retired U.S. Customs
official Richard Melton and British specialist Michael Sandy.
Melton explained that the training project was initially
conceived as a way of increasing cross-border cooperation
between Turkmen and Afghan customs officials. Participants
were to include ten Afghan customs officials and six of their
Turkmen counterparts. Although both sides agreed to the
training, in the end, the Afghan side did not send any
participants. Melton, who has previously worked in
Afghanistan, thought there was no one on the Afghan side
willing or able to make the decision to send participants.
He also suggested that the potential Afghan participants
would have resisted attending because it would have meant
foregoing more profitable activities at home for the duration
of the training. Before it became clear that the Afghans
would be no-shows, the Turkmen on short notice urged the OSCE
to move the training to the remote Imamnazar border post on
the Turkmen-Afghan border. Melton thought the government had
second thoughts about having ten Afghans in Ashgabat for a
month.


3. (C) After the Afghans failed to show up, the number of
Turkmen officials was increased to ten. Included in the
course were three days of planned practical activities are
various sites, however the government did not approve any
activities outside of the training center, so Melton said
they had to stretch six days of classroom work to cover nine
days. He said involvement by the participants was
acceptable, with about two-thirds showing genuine interest
and engagement. Since the project will continue until
mid-August, Melton hoped they would be able to arrange some
joint Turkmen-Afghan training or consultations in the
remaining time, most likely to take place at Imamnazar and
involving lesser numbers of officials from both sides.


4. (C) COMMENT: Although an excellent concept, the execution
of this joint training effort, intended to reinforce
cross-border communication between Turkmen and Afghans, was
undermined by a lack of buy-in from the Afghan side. The
resulting Turkmen-only course, not designed specifically to
address their level of experience and needs, is making the
best of the situation. It should, however, build the
capacity of supervisors to conduct training, a skill that
would have broad application beyond counternarcotics efforts.
On the side, the director of the training center mentioned
that this year they completed a dormitory and dining room at
the center and plan to organize a year-round training
schedule, rotating customs officials through the center on a
regular basis. END COMMENT.
MILES