Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT965
2009-07-30 12:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

PRINCE ANDREW DISCUSSES ENERGY DURING JUNE 27-28

Tags:  PREL ECON ENRG SOCI TX 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000965 

SIPDIS

SCA/CEN; EEB
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER
PLEASE PASS USTDA DAN STEIN
AID/W EE/EA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2019
TAGS: PREL ECON ENRG SOCI TX
SUBJECT: PRINCE ANDREW DISCUSSES ENERGY DURING JUNE 27-28
VISIT TO TURKMENISTAN

Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000965

SIPDIS

SCA/CEN; EEB
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER
PLEASE PASS USTDA DAN STEIN
AID/W EE/EA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2019
TAGS: PREL ECON ENRG SOCI TX
SUBJECT: PRINCE ANDREW DISCUSSES ENERGY DURING JUNE 27-28
VISIT TO TURKMENISTAN

Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Special Envoy of Great Britain on the
issues of International Trade and Industry Prince Andrew,
Duke of York, visited Turkmenistan July 27-28. Prince
Andrew's talks with President Berdimuhamedov and Foreign
Minister Meredov centered almost exclusively on energy
issues. Andrew advocated for allowing British energy
companies to work on onshore, arguing that they have the
expertise and technology to drill for subsalt gas.
Berdimuhamedov was reluctant to discuss the ongoing dispute
with Gazprom, but both he and Meredov raised the Caspian
boundary dispute with Azerbaijan. END COMMENT.


2. (C) Special Envoy of Great Britain on the issues of
International Trade and Industry Prince Andrew, Duke of York,
visited Turkmenistan July 27-28. The focus of the visit was
energy. UK DCM George Scott told us that Andrew has good
relations with both Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev and
Azerbaijan President Aliyev. He hopes to develop the same
sort of relationship with President Berdimuhamedov.
Therefore, he plans to visit Turkmenistan regularly. Andrew
visited Turkmenistan for the first time last year.


3. (C) The meeting with Berdimuhamedov lasted one hour and 45
minutes. Although press reports of the meeting with
Berdimuhamedov mentioned sending Turkmen gas to European
markets, including Great Britain, Scott said that the UK
interest is not in purchasing Turkmen gas, and that was not
really discussed in the meeting. Andrew advocated for
allowing Western majors to work onshore and noted that
British energy firms have the expertise and technology needed
to extract subsalt gas. He tried to get Berdimuhamedov to
comment on the ongoing dispute with Gazprom, but the
President was reluctant to do so. Instead he discussed the
dispute with Azerbaijan and said that the only way to resolve
the delimitation of the Caspian boundary with Azerbaijan was
through international arbitration.


4. (C) In a separate meeting, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov
told the Prince that the Turkmen decided to request
arbitration, because they were angry over the speech Aliyev
gave at Chatham House on July 13. Meredov claimed that while
at Chatham House Aliyev had said that Serdar would always be
Azeri. (COMMENT: Perhaps this was during a question and
answer session, because it does not appear in transcripts of
the speech. END COMMENT.) He said that after that speech,
Berdimuhamedov had ordered him to take the boundary dispute
to arbitration.


5. (C) Meredov also expressed anger at BP for stealing
Turkmen gas in the disputed zone of the Caspian. Andrew
asked if the Turkmen had taken this up with BP headquarters
in London, and Meredov replied no. (NOTE: On July 29, the
UK embassy received a letter, signed by Meredov, for
transmittal by BP, saying that unless BP pays the Turkmen for
the gas, the Turkmen will take the company to arbitration.
END NOTE.)


6. (C) Prince Andrew pressed Meredov on Turkmenistan's
ability to meet all its gas commitments. Meredov simply
assured him that the obligations would be met.


7. (C) Andrew raised the issue of Medecins Sans Frontieres
(MSF),whose project to work in hospitals on drug-resistant
TB is coming to an end, and who have received indications
from the Turkmen that it won't be renewed. MSF has been in
Turkmenistan for ten years. (NOTE: MSF raised this with the
British Foreign Office and requested that the Duke of York
bring it up during his visit. The UK ambassador had been
opposed to dealing with this matter at this level, but was

ASHGABAT 00000965 002 OF 002


overruled. END NOTE.) Andrew told Meredov that when he
started his involvement in philanthropic work five years ago,
he only assisted two organizations - World Food Program and
MSF. Therefore, he was worried that they might have to leave
Turkmenistan. Meredov responded that he was aware of the
case. As MSF is an international organization, he would get
to the bottom of the problem.


8. (C) UK DCM Scott said that MSF believes that the Turkmen
are uncomfortable having them in the hospitals, aware of the
prevalence of certain diseases. MSF told him that when the
extremely sick show up at hospitals, they are sent home to
die so that their statistic does not show up on the hospital
report.


9. (C) COMMENT: Prince Andrew is the highest ranking British
official to visit Turkmenistan since Berdimuhamedov became
president. He is right that engagement is the key to
building a relationship with the Turkmen. END COMMENT.
CURRAN