VZCZCXRO4236
PP RUEHCD RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHMRE RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0138/01 0271156
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271156Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6921
INFO RUCNOSC/OSCE POST COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCJ2/HSE/CCJ5//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J5/RUE//
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000138 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN (PERRY), INR/REA (PARKER, FEINBERG), 
SA DAS GASTRIGHT 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON PINR EPET TX
SUBJECT: NIYAZOV ESTABLISHES NEW RESHUFFLE RECORD 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.   (SBU) President Niyazov announced 23 new 
appointments and 18 dismissals in the course of three 
meetings on January 25.  Former presidential favorite 
Aganiyaz Akyev was relieved as Chief of the Presidential 
Apparatus and appointed the new hakim (governor) of 
Dashoguz Welayat (province).  Chief of the State Customs 
Service Alexandr Grishin was demoted to Deputy Chairman 
of the State Fisheries Committee.  There were further 
notable changes in the Ministries of Education and 
Agriculture, and the administration of Dashoguz Welayat. 
End Summary. 
 
ANOTHER HAKIM FIRED 
------------------- 
 
¶2.   (SBU) The most dramatic occurrence during three 
successive presidential meetings on January 25 was the 
dismissal and arrest of Dashoguz Welayat Hakim Kakamyrat 
Annagylyjov, Dashoguz Hakim since December 2004. (Note: 
Four out of five welayat hakims were replaced in the last 
five months.  End Note.)  Niyazov made a point of 
charging Annagylyjov, on television, with embezzlement of 
over 7.5 billion manats (USD 1.3 million), and of having 
four wives.  Replacing Annagylyjov is former Chief 
Officer of the Presidential Apparatus Aganiyaz Akyev. 
Akyev was dismissed as Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of 
Ministers in December 2005.  He has served an extensive 
part of his career in the President's bodyguard service. 
 
MFA, CUSTOMS AND FISHERIES 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Chief of State Customs Service Alexander Grishin 
was demoted to Deputy Chairman of the State Fisheries 
Committee.  Grishin was one of the last ethnic Russians 
to hold a high-level position in the GOTX; embassy staff 
considered him a solid and constructive interlocutor. 
Head of the Mary Welayat Department of the Ministry of 
National Security Myratberdi Annalyev was appointed the 
new Customs Chief.  (Comment: Embassy suspects the 29- 
year-old Annalyev will be much more reserved in dealing 
with international partners, as is typically the case 
with newly appointed officials with security/military 
backgrounds.  End Comment.) 
 
¶4. (U) Meretgeldi Mammedov was dismissed as Chairman of 
the State Fisheries Committee for grave shortcomings and 
misuse of office.  The Minister of National Security gave 
a detailed account of his crimes.  Mammedov was escorted 
from the meeting by law enforcement officers. 
 
¶5. (U) MFA First Deputy Yklymberdi Paromov was appointed 
Chief Officer of the Presidential Apparatus.  Prior to 
his appointment with the MFA, Paromov worked in the MNB. 
While with the MFA, Paromov participated in the GOTX 
religious minority group roundtable and was a member of 
the Commission on the Registration of NGOs and Religious 
Groups. 
 
EDUCATION AND AGRICULTURE CHANGES 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Former deputy Hakim of Ashgabat City Shemshat 
Annagylyjova was appointed Minister of Education. 
Annagylyjova is the second female minister currently 
serving in the cabinet and was previously employed as a 
preschool teacher, elementary school teacher and high 
school principal.  Other changes in the education sector 
include: 
 
-- Appointment of Gurtmyrat Posykov as the new Rector of 
Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Agricultural University. 
 
-- Dismissal of Chary Yazlyev for grave shortcomings from 
his positions as Rector of the Seidi Pedagogical 
Institute and Chairman of the president's High Council on 
Science and Technology. 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00000138  002 OF 002 
 
 
-- Transfer of Rejepmyrat Galayev from Rector of Turkmen 
State University to Rector of the Seidi Pedagogical 
Institute.  (Note: A de facto demotion.  End note.) 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Changes in agricultural-sector leadership 
include: 
 
-- Minister of Agriculture Begench Atamyradov was 
dismissed for grave shortcomings.  Atamyradov is a former 
Counterpart Consortium grantee and trainer, and was 
generally supportive of farmers' programs, specifically a 
Counterpart Consortium water users association. 
Atamyradov retains his position as Chairman of the Grain 
Products Association, but Niyazov threatened this job as 
well.  Former Turkmen Agricultural University Rector 
Esenmurat Orazgelidyev was appointed Minister of 
Agriculture. 
 
-- Niyazov also criticized several other officials in the 
agriculture sector for not being proactive, including 
Water Minister and Cochran alumnus Tekebay Altyev and 
Turkmen Agricultural Services Association Chief Sherip 
Tajov.  Tajov's job was threatened, and he was warned by 
Niyazov that law enforcement investigations were 
underway. 
 
-- Niyazov also announced many changes to the 
agricultural curriculum (septel). 
 
OTHER CHANGES 
------------- 
 
¶8. (U) Durnabat Ashyrova was appointed as the new "Diyar" 
Magazine Editor-in-Chief. 
 
¶9. (U) Purges extended to lower level GOTX officials as 
well.  In Dashoguz Welayat, two etrap hakims, three 
deputy etrap hakims and one deputy city hakim were 
dismissed by the president, and two etrap hakims, four 
deputy etrap hakims and two city hakims were appointed. 
In Mary Welayat four deputy etrap hakims and one deputy 
city hakim were appointed. 
 
¶10.  (U) 2006 personnel changes prior to January 25: 
 
-- Appointment of Esen Aydogdyev as Turkmenistan's 
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the 
Republic of Austria.  Aydogdyev was a recipient of the 
Benjamin Franklin Public Administration Fellowship to 
pursue graduate studies in 1993. 
 
-- Appointment of Serdar Durdyev as Advisor to the 
permanent representative office of Turkmenistan at the 
United Nations. 
 
-- Appointment of Hojamuhammet Muhammedov as the Head of 
the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange. 
 
-- Dismissal of Head of the State Commodity and Raw 
Materials Exchange Gurbanmurat Gulov for shortcomings. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Niyazov made a record 41 appointments and 
dismissals during these three meetings.  Although his 
reshuffles are incessant, replacing experienced officials 
with inexperienced, albeit loyal, security officers like 
Akyev and Annalyev is becoming a new trend.  It looks as 
if Niyazov is seeking out subordinates who are not just 
absolutely loyal but also have the background to wield a 
strong hand, rather than any claim to substantive 
knowledge in their new field. 
 
JACOBSON