TURKMENISTAN: A HARBINGER OF THE TOUGH CHOICE FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000016 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM SOCI SMIG TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: A HARBINGER OF THE TOUGH CHOICE FOR DUAL CITIZENS REF: 09 ASHGABAT 1260 ASHGABAT 00000016 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for Internet distribution ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: In Turkmenistan, those affected most by government efforts to eliminate dual citizenship have been individuals holding both Turkmen and Russian passports, currently being unable to obtain new Turkmen passports (reftel). However, post was recently contacted by an ethnic Turkmen, holding only Russian citizenship, who alleged that he was illegally dismissed from his job with a private foreign company due to his lack of a foreign worker labor permit. Unhappy with the Prosecutor General's office's reply to his petition for redress, the unemployed individual turned to the Embassy to request contact information for international human rights and media organizations. This fellow's situation could be a harbinger of the difficulties for those who elect to retain their Russian citizenship in 2013. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) On December 31, 2009 the Embassy received a letter from Saparmammed Nepeskuliyev, an ethnic Turkmen with Russian citizenship, who resides in his hometown of Balkanabat in western Turkmenistan. When he turned 16 years old, the age for obtaining citizenship, he was living with a relative and studying in Russia and was issued a Russian passport. Upon his return to Turkmenistan, he never received a Turkmen passport. In his petition, Nepeskuliyev complained that, being a Russian citizen, he was now not allowed to work in Turkmenistan, nor did he have the right to medical insurance, a telephone and other social services. In 2007, after a month of contractual employment, Nepeskuliyev was dismissed from his job as a cook's assistant for a foreign company operating in Balkanabat, because he was not able to provide a work permit from State Migration Service. Such a permit is required for foreigners to work in the country. ¶4. (SBU) Nepeskuliyev has since appealed to the office of Prosecutor General, Supreme Court of Turkmenistan, Russian Embassy, and Communist Party of the Russian Federation regarding his dismissal from work. Having investigated the case, the Prosecutor's Office responded to Nepeskuliyev that he had been employed without a foreign worker permit, thus violating Turkmenistan's legislation on foreign worker employment, and that he had been dismissed before the expiration of his contractual term of employment. On December 18, 2008 the Prosecutor's Office sent a notice to Nepeskuliyev's former employer requesting regarding both violations of law. The company responded to the Prosecutor's office that, if Nepeskuliyev wanted employment with the company again, he would need to provide a work permit from the Migration Service and his application would be considered. Because of his Russian citizenship, Nepeskuliyev also turned to the Russian Embassy but received no assistance. He expressed disappointment with the fact that "the Russian Embassy sold Russian citizens in Turkmenistan for gas". ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: As a Russian citizen, albeit a "local" ethnic Turkmen, Nepeskuliyev mentioned nothing in his correspondence about applying for Turkmen citizenship to resolve his problem. While ASHGABAT 00000016 002.2 OF 002 apparently he does not want to give up his Russian citizenship, it's unlikely that Turkmen authorities would issue him a Turkmen passport as long as he insists on maintaining Russian citizenship, despite his ethnic, birth, family and residence ties to Turkmenistan. Such problems will become widespread in 2013 when old passports expire if the government enforces its ban on dual citizenship. The attractiveness of Russian citizenship, apparent in the case of Nepeskuliyev, will likely be a factor for many people forced to make a choice, regardless of their ethnicity. END COMMENT CURRAN