VZCZCXRO3541
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHAK #3617/01 1701456
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191456Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6693
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ALMATY 2206
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 1899
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7286
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 1390
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 0340
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0508
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 5453
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 5254
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0733
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 3046
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0818
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5042
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0776

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003617 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EPET TU ZK
SUBJECT: A/S BOUCHER CONSULTS WITH TURKEY ON CENTRAL ASIA 
AND AFGHANISTAN 
 
REF: ANKARA 3371 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROSS WILSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) 
 
 ¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: As follow-up to Secretary Rice,s April 
commitment to FM Abdullah Gul to embark on expert 
consultations as part of new U.S.-Turkey strategic dialogue, 
Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher consulted with Turkish 
Officials on June 14 on Central Asia and Afghanistan. 
Turkish and U.S. officials noted they shared a vision for 
commitment to regional cooperation and integration, 
democratization, education, and counter-narcotics.  Turkish 
officials admitted that they faced similar (to the U.S.) 
challenges in dealing with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. 
Turkey is making a substantial contribution to reconstruction 
and security in Afghanistan.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Consultations for Strategic Dialogue 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (C) On June 14 A/S Richard Boucher, DAS John Gastright, 
Ambassadors Jacobson (Ashgabat), Hoagland (Dushanbe), and 
Ordway (Almaty), and SCA Special Assistant Hayden, 
accompanied by Ambassador Wilson and Embassy Ankara staff, 
met a team of Turkish officials led by Deputy U/S Ahmet 
Uzumcu for consultations on Central Asia and Afghanistan.  At 
the end of the consultations, the U.S. delegation also met 
with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to brief him on this first 
concrete outcome of the Secretary's and his commitment to 
commence expert consultations under a new strategic bilateral 
dialogue. 
 
¶3.  (C) A/S Boucher opened the discussions by stressing our 
shared vision of supporting democracy and prosperity in 
Central Asia.  Recognizing strong ties with Turkey, 
historical linkages to Russia, and opportunities with China, 
Boucher called for countries in the region to maintain 
diverse and non-exclusive options, rather than a sole focus 
on east-west connections.  He said that education was the 
foundation for economic development and democratization. 
Describing the region as &two pillars (Kazakhstan and India) 
and a pivot (Afghanistan)8, Boucher stressed that success in 
Afghanistan was dependent on integration both north and south. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Regional Energy ) North-South and East-West 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Noting his participation the day before in the 
Central Asia Power Forum in Istanbul, Boucher stated that the 
discussions on energy linkages had moved beyond &lines on 
the map8 to specific transmission lines and tariff and 
customer arrangements.  As a sign of commercial momentum, he 
cited the agreement signed with AES for a feasibility study 
for power projects in Tajikistan which could contribute to 
export of excess power from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan south 
to Afghanistan and South Asia.  Noting that road and trade 
linkages were under-developed, Boucher cited activities of 
the Asian Development Bank as important.  Ambassador Ordway 
mentioned trans-Asia road and rail projects in Kazakhstan, 
emphasizing the need for greater attention to customs and the 
&software8 of trade, as well as the "hardware". 
 
¶5.  (C) In response to a question from Dep U/S Uzumcu, 
Boucher affirmed that the north-south regional focus did not 
put in question continued U.S. support for the east-west 
energy corridor; rather, it was about leveraging diverse 
options to build countries, sovereignty and independence. 
Both sides cited completion of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil 
pipeline and progress on Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline as 
tremendous accomplishments and highly symbolic of the 
continued commitment to east-west transit.  Boucher cited the 
example of Kazakhstan renegotiating its gas contract with 
Gazprom as a small victory for empowerment based on having 
options. 
 
ANKARA 00003617  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C) Citing questions about Turkmenistan,s capacity and 
willingness to be a connection for a prospective 
trans-Caspian pipeline for gas, Boucher saw Kazakhstan as 
holding much higher near-term potential for a pipeline, as 
well as a separate oil linkage to Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan.  He 
stated that the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) 
would soon announce funding for a feasibility study for a 
pipeline across the Caspian for gas from Kazakhstan.  Both 
sides agreed that realizing a trans-Caspian pipeline would 
require strong support from the U.S. and Turkey.  Ambassador 
Jacobson noted that Turkmenistan might be able to link later 
into a Kazakhstan pipeline.  She said that Turkmenistan to 
date was unwilling to be open about its reserves and was 
susceptible to pressure from Gazprom. 
 
¶7.  (C) Turkish Energy Coordinator Mithat Balkan stated that 
there was a convergence of U.S. and Turkish regional energy 
policy.  He worried, however, that there might still be 
confusion about north-south linkages competing with or 
diverting from the east-west energy corridor.  Balkan called 
for clear support from the U.S. for the East-West corridor 
(also plugging high level U.S. support at the 
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan inaugural on July 12-13).  Balkan 
emphasized that Russia was putting pressure on all countries, 
including Turkey, to fill pipelines with Russian gas, thereby 
excluding Caspian gas.  Ambassador Ordway pointed out that 
Russian leverage was reduced because its developable reserves 
were dwindling; Balkan insisted that this made Russian 
pressure more &desperate8. 
 
------------ 
Central Asia 
------------ 
 
¶8.  (C) Director General Resit Uman emphasized the overlap of 
U.S. and Turkish policies in the region.  He said that Turkey 
fully supported integration and cooperation and promoting 
political and economic reform.  Uman cited Turkey,s 
historical and special ties to the region.  He emphasized 
that each country had its specific characteristics, so a 
monolithic approach was impossible.  Uman admitted that 
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were difficult and autocratic, 
but noted that Turkish companies have still been very 
successful in both, especially in Turkmenistan.  He also 
asserted that Turkey,s Central Asia policy had become more 
focused on democratization after 2003, consistent with its EU 
accession. 
 
¶9.  (C) Accepting Boucher,s point of the critical importance 
of education, Uman stated that Turkey,s schools had been 
important in the region, even those associated with 
&foundations8 which still provided a modern and high 
quality education sought out by the local elite (apparently a 
reference to Fethullah Gulen Islamic schools).  Uman said 
that Turkey provided significant training and scholarships to 
the region.  The Turkish side also cited activities of the 
Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency TIKA (comparable 
to USAID) in the region. 
 
¶10.  (C) Boucher also stressed the need to focus regional 
efforts on information (as almost all media comes from 
Russia), technology, and media.  He also noted that Turkey,s 
success on counter narcotics could be particularly relevant 
for Afghanistan and Central Asia. 
 
------------------- 
Kazakhstan and OSCE 
------------------- 
 
¶11.  (C) In response to a question on Kazakhstan,s quest for 
OSCE Chairmanship in 2009, Boucher said that the chair had to 
meet the high standards of the organization.  The question is 
how and when Kazakhstan would do that.  The Secretary has not 
been able to certify Kazakhstan,s progress on human rights 
and democratic reform to our own Congress, so it is unlikely 
 
ANKARA 00003617  003 OF 004 
 
 
it will achieve the standards by 2009.  Nevertheless, we are 
talking with Kazakhstan about this and have asked them to 
identify the steps they will take to reach acceptable human 
rights standards. 
 
----------- 
Afghanistan 
----------- 
 
¶12.  (C) In both the meeting with Foreign Minister Gul and 
the general session, which included military (TGS) and 
intelligence (TNIO) officers, the Turkish representatives 
stressed the long and special relationship Turkey has with 
Afghanistan.  Turkey has pledged $100 million to 
Afghanistan,s reconstruction, twice led ISAF in Afghanistan, 
and has taken over joint command of Kabul Central Command. 
It will establish a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Wardak 
later this year.  Gul said the Afghan leadership is making 
progress, but must start to do more on their own, noting the 
foreigners will not always be there. 
 
¶13.  (C) Boucher stated that the perception that the security 
situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating was not accurate. 
Rather, it was an inevitable consequence of the extension of 
the central government out to the borders, resulting in more 
conflict and &testing8 from criminals, warlords and the 
Taliban.  He said that the Taliban, using money from 
narcotics, had adopted new tactics.  Boucher also emphasized 
that expansion of government must mean the extension of good 
government.  He cited recent replacement of police chiefs by 
better, albeit not perfect, personnel.  Boucher argued 
against the local misperception on the ground that NATO was 
not as good as the Americans, asserting that there was no 
change in the U.S. commitment to success in Afghanistan. 
 
¶14.  (C) Deputy Director General Babur Hizlan voiced support 
for these objectives, but called for keeping the current 
levels of U.S. forces.  He and the Coordinator for 
Afghanistan Koray Targay provided a long list of Turkish 
support and training in the sectors of health, education, 
security, and infrastructure.  They supported more investment 
in roads and rails, such as the Ring Road, China-to-Turkey, 
and Asia-Europe, as well as in the power sector. 
 
¶15.  (C) Boucher expressed appreciation for Turkey,s 
contributions.  He noted that the U.S. was dedicating $2-3 
billion per year to security, anti-narcotics, governance, and 
reconstruction.  Citing the importance of both primary and 
secondary road development (&good guys use roads8) for 
augmenting government services, he called for more 
international support for infrastructure.  Boucher also 
supported increased literacy and vocational training, noting 
that Afghanistan had been one of the world,s poorest 
countries in the 50,s, 60,s, and 70,s and then went 
downhill for two decades. 
 
¶16.  (C) DAS Gastright echoed the observation that the 
Taliban and other resistance was disparate and not 
monolithic, consisting also of criminal elements that were 
reacting to expansion of government control.  He cited 
Operations &Mountain Lion8 and &Mountain Thrust8 as 
successful for expanding government control in difficult 
areas in the east and south.  Gastright emphasized that they 
needed to counter misinformation on government control.  He 
also described efforts to increase roads and power 
infrastructure, as well as efforts to improve provincial 
governance and narcotics eradication, citing a fruit tree 
project as a successful program. 
 
¶17.  (U) This message was cleared by Assistant Secretary 
Boucher. 
 
¶18.  (U) Dushanbe Minimize Considered 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
ANKARA 00003617  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
WILSON