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DE RUEHAH #0659/01 1740323
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 230323Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7479
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0478
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 0005
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0012
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0019

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000659 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (LFRESE) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2016 
TAGS: KDEM PREL ETRD TX IN
SUBJECT: INDIA'S ENGAGEMENT IN TURKMENISTAN: CHALLENGES AND 
OPPORTUNITIES 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00000659  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR TRACEY ANN JACOBSON FOR REASONS 1.4 B and D 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: During two conversations with the new Indian 
Deputy Chief of Mission in Turkmenistan, Binaya Srikanta 
Pradahan on June 15 and June 21, PolOff discussed the 
declining state of economic relations between India and 
Turkmenistan, various educational, cultural and other 
programs -- including a new allocation of $10 million for the 
UN Democracy Fund -- in Turkmenistan, and Pradahan's general 
views regarding Turkmenistan's government, educational and 
economic situation. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
Faltering Business Relations 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Despite several initially-promising joint ventures 
with Turkmenistan in recent years, notably in pharmaceuticals 
and construction, economic relations between India and 
Turkmenistan generally have fallen.  This is clearly 
reflected in the embassy's staffing reduction from one 
political and one economic officer to a joint 
political-economic officer who also acts as Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  The volume of India-Turkmenistan bilateral trade 
was $145 million last year, but Pradahan predicts it will 
likely be "slightly lower next year," as Indian partners of 
joint ventures pull out. 
 
India: Pessimistic About Trans-Afghan Pipeline 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3.  (C) Pradahan was surprisingly skeptical about the 
possibility of a Trans-Afghan Pipeline, let alone the chances 
of it extending further to India.  He noted that the 
discussions for this have been ongoing "for years," and that 
despite numerous high level meetings "on all sides" there was 
"still no action."  He contended that the security situation 
in Afghanistan was the primary stumbling block, because it 
would be "difficult to convince major oil companies" to build 
a pipeline in the current security environment.  Nonetheless, 
he said that Indian involvement in the project discussion 
would "remain constant" because if it did get off the ground, 
they would ultimately stand to benefit from it. 
 
They Keep On Knockin', But They Can't Come In 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The Indian embassy gets "lots of queries" via the 
Indian embassy website, according to Pradahan, and they 
routinely provide contact information to both the relevant 
Indian private businesses and Turkmenistani government 
entities, but "there's never any answer" from the government. 
 Although India's business community has a huge capability to 
provide technical assistance, especially in the 
high-technology, industrial development, and other 
specialized technical fields, there has been little 
cooperation with Turkmenistan despite Indian efforts to 
foster it. 
 
¶5.  (C) Additionally, overtures towards fostering new 
economic cooperation or trade deals have also failed, largely 
due to government inability to do business successfully. 
"Business should be run by businessmen," according to 
Pradahan, but "there are no businessmen in Turkmenistan -- 
only government workers."  Citing frequent inquiries by 
Indian firms working in the agricultural, cottaqe industry, 
handicraft, and high technology industries looking for new 
markets and partnerships despite numerous attempts by 
individual firms and the embassy to initiate joint ventures 
or partnerships, these have fallen flat due to lack of 
response or interest on the part of Turkmenistan's officials. 
 
Cultural Exchange: Hooray for Bollywood! 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) India has true entr into the hearts and minds of the 
Turkmenistani people when it comes to culture.  Indian movies 
are very popular here in Turkmenistan and available in the 
bazaars for less than a dollar for a bootleg copy.  (Note: 
After President Niyazov abolished public cinemas in the 
mid-1990s the common thing to do is buy VHS tapes or DVDs of 
foreign movies and watch them at home.  End note.)  Pradahan 
claimed their most successful cultural programming was 
 
ASHGABAT 00000659  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
traveling to the welayats and showing recent hit Bollywood 
films to groups of 50 to100.  The embassy does this mostly 
via the MFA and the hakimliks (regional authorities), and 
embassy officers are assigned a Ministry of Foreign affairs 
handler for the duration of their trips. 
 
¶7. (C) However, not all this exposure is good, and due to a 
lack of other sources of information, many Turkmeistanis have 
a very misguided impression of India.  Pradahan noted that 
many exchange program applicants are interested in visiting 
India solely because they aspire to meet -- or even become -- 
Bollywood dancers or stars.  For example, Pradahan told the 
story of a female Turkmen applicant to an exchange program 
who insistently and repeatedly asking him to arrange a 
meeting for her with a very famous Indian film star, to which 
he responded: "My wife has also asked me about arranging such 
a meeting (with this actor) -- if I cannot arrange it for 
her, what makes you think I can do so for you?" 
 
Indian Exchanges and Technical Assistance 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) India runs two educational exchange programs in 
Turkmenistan, both of which send students from Turkmenistan 
to higher educational institutions in India.  The Indian 
Education Technical Cooperation (or ITEC) program which 
operates in almost 100 countries worldwide, has 30 dedicated 
slots for Turkmenistan.  Most of the students selected go to 
an English language university or study computer technology, 
but there is often direct pressure for GOTX and university 
officials not to participate in this program. Pradahan shared 
a recent example of a finalist selected for the ITEC program 
being personally contacted by the dean of his university and 
told "if you go to India you cannot come back to our 
university."  (Note: we often have the same problem. End 
Note.)  The second program, SCAAP, is focused on agriculture, 
business and more technical subjects, but this program has 
not been operating in Turkmenistan during the past year, 
although Pradahan declined to say why.  In addition, he noted 
that the quality of 
applicants has fallen sharply over the years. "Years ago in 
university, there were several Turkmen students studying with 
me, who were very good," he shared. "But today the situation 
has changed," and they get only "Ruhnama-babies" who do not 
have "complete educations" applying for their programs. 
Although the ITEC program candidates "often don't qualify" 
Pradahan conceded that "we have to send them anyway," in 
order to meet the program's quota for Turkmenistan. 
 
¶9. (C) India also supplies numerous technical advisors, 
including experts in the fields of international trade, 
hydrocarbon extraction, and agricultural science -- notably 
cultivation of crops in the desert.  However, Pradahan 
expressed concern that their advisors often have a difficult 
time working with some of the ministries. 
 
New Indian Money Available for Democracy Projects 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶10.  (C) Pradahan told PolOff about India's recent 
contribution of $10 Million to the UN Democracy Fund, which 
is to be allocated at the discretion of the Indian MFA.  He 
also asked the embassy for guidance in determining how to 
spend these funds in Turkmenistan.  The portion allocated to 
Turkmenistan "depends upon how much we ask for."  So far 
there are no projects, since democracy funding is a brand new 
project for the Indian Embassy in Turkmenistan, and they are 
just starting to look into "what is feasible," stating the 
need for "partners and  groups" to carry out such projects. 
(Note: PolOff forwarded Pradahan the Embassy Democracy 
Commission guidelines and information as a starting point. 
End Note.). 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (C) Within the framework of the new South and Central 
Asia Bureau and the recent historic improvement in United 
State-India relations, there is a real opportunity to work in 
concert to support civil society, democratization efforts and 
educational exchanges.  A diminished economic interest may 
actually bolster cooperation by the world's largest democracy 
and the United States in terms of pressuring the Government 
of Turkmenistan to change its educational system and expand 
opportunities for civil society and technical assistance that 
directly benefits the people of Turkmenistan.  We should 
 
ASHGABAT 00000659  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
provide as much help as possible to helping the Indians 
formulate sound plans to distribute their newly-contributed 
UN Democracy Fund money in ways that ensure good projects and 
that actively contribute to the development of the 
non-governmental and educational sectors.  In the struggle to 
provide the Turkmenistani populations with opportunities 
outside the framework of Niyazovian isolationist and 
repressive government s 
tructures, India is a welcome ally.  End Comment. 
 
JACOBSON 
JACOBSON