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FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7513
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCJ2/HSE/CCJ5//
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-2/REA/NMJIC-J2//
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1646

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 ASHGABAT 000702 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/CACEN (RUBIN) AND SCA PDAS MANN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL TX PHUM ENRG PINS KDEM ZK
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR,S FAREWELL CALL WITH NIYAZOV 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMB TRACEY JACOBSON FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND 
D 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) During an hour long farewell call with Ambassador, an 
apparently healthy and engaged Niyazov: 
 
-described plans for upcoming elections at all levels, 
starting with village councils July 23 and leading up to 
presidential elections in 2009; 
 
-noted that he would maintain his chairmanship of the 
People's Council (Halk Maslahaty) after presidential 
elections, to ensure "unity;" 
 
-confirmed that he will at some point re-institute a 10th 
year of primary education, while insisting that further 
education was pointless; 
 
-criticized the "sneaky" Russians both for involvement in the 
2002 coup attempt and underhanded deals with Ukraine to 
continue to get Turkmenistani gas cheap; 
 
-insisted that he would stand firm on his decision not to 
sell gas for less than $100/tcm, which he believes the 
Russians will eventually pay "once the weather starts to turn 
cold in October." 
 
¶2. (C) Despite the inevitable "classic Bashi" moments 
(including a knee-jerk reaction at the mention of NGOs, and a 
cringe-inducing dissertation on the foreign minister's 
previous marital woes and drinking habits), Niyazov clearly 
intended to have a positive farewell call.  Although his 
introductory comments on the need for democratic reform could 
have been lifted from embassy talking points, it's clear that 
he intends to keep his hand firmly on the tiller, and stifle 
any attempts to expand civil society or real freedom of 
expression.  End Summary. 
 
 
Happy Independence Day 
---------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Niyazov, demonstrating his penchant for meetings 
during holidays, invited Ambassador (accompanied by Pol/Mil 
Chief as notetaker) for a farewell call July 4.  He opened 
the meeting by expressing full support for Ambassador's 
published July 4 message (which the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs had asked the embassy to change to make "less 
insulting" the day before, septel).  He expressed his desire 
for good relations with "your great nation," thanking 
Ambassador for her efforts to improve the bilateral 
relationship following the 2002 coup attempt, which he said 
Russia had supported. 
 
 
Our Lack of Democracy is the Soviet Union's Fault 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. (C) Responding to the Ambassador's statement that the 
United States established its democracy 230 years ago and was 
constantly striving to develop it, President Niyazov said 
that he had a high appreciation for democratic institutions. 
(Note:  We've yet to see it here.) As the new century 
continues he is trying to establish democratic institutions 
in Turkmenistan, but the Turkmen people themselves have 
little understanding of democratic development due to their 
history -- a new mentality has to be developed before such 
institutions could take root.  He blamed this undemocratic 
mentality on Turkmenistan's Soviet past; the Soviet Union saw 
Turkmenistan only as a place to exploit mineral resources 
without developing its human capital.  Describing his own 
experiences as an apparatchik in Moscow, he said that in 1985 
the Chairman of the Soviet Cabinet of Ministers Tikhanov had 
called him into his office and asked him where Turkmenistan 
was located and what they did there.  In Niyazov's words, 
Soviet authorities never let the Turkmen decide any of their 
own economic or social questions, sent in &foreign8, i.e. 
Ukrainian, workers to run their gas and oil fields, and made 
the republic's budget dependent on the decisions of the 
Central Bank in Moscow.  Even under Gorbachev he claimed that 
Turkmen only received 10 percent of the income from their oil 
and gas from Moscow and half of this was distributed as 
 
ASHGABAT 00000702  002 OF 005 
 
 
"useless" consumer goods.  Therefore, according to Niyazov, 
this system led to the creation of a silent population, which 
was the main legacy of the Soviet Union in Turkmenistan. 
 
¶5. (C) Several times during his exegesis Niyazov blamed 
Turkmenistan's lack of democracy not only on its Soviet 
legacy but on a Soviet &Old Guard8 he claimed he had to 
root out and which he implied stymied his efforts to change 
the country.  In one instance he mentioned that 
Turkmenistan's new generation graduating from its 
universities would be ready to run the country's gas and oil 
infrastructure, become entrepreneurs, etc., but that this 
&Old Guard8 still existed and would make life difficult for 
them.  Speaking later about his (constant) removal of hakims 
(governors) and other officials, Niyazov said they were 
members of this &Old Guard8 who were invariably corrupt. 
 
 
Upcoming Elections 
------------------ 
 
¶6. (C) Ambassador queried Niyazov on plans for elections, 
asking specifically whether the electoral system would allow 
multiple candidates and candidates from different ethnic 
groups.  Niyazov answered positively saying that the schedule 
for elections would remain as announced with village-level 
council (gengeshi) elections in July, regional (welayet) 
council elections in October 2006, welayet hakim (governor) 
secret-ballot elections in October 2007, then parliamentary 
 
SIPDIS 
elections, and finally presidential elections in 2009. 
Responding to another question, Niyazov claimed that he would 
not bother with the local elections and that the electoral 
commission and parliament would supervise these; further, he 
was not interested in the work of village councils anymore 
and no one from the center would interfere.    Niyazov spoke 
positively about the current parliament saying that it was 
made up of mostly new persons and that few of them had Soviet 
mindsets.  Ambassador asked if elected governors would still 
be subject to dismissal by the President.  Niyazov clearly 
stated that this would no longer happen; the electors would 
then take care of removing governors if they did not perform 
well. 
 
Political Parties Will Not be Artificial 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Niyazov described how his programs had been designed 
to provide rural citizens with the capital to have their own 
cattle, goats, sheep, cars, farm implements, free gas, free 
water, etc., and allow them to increase their wealth. 
Mentioning how Turkmen trading entrepreneurs filled flights 
to India, Dubai, and London, Niyazov said his main economic 
goal was to create a domestic market which would increase 
wealth throughout the country and create a class of 
entrepreneurs, small businessmen, traders, minor 
industrialists, and the like.  This, in his opinion, would be 
the part of society that would create and fund political 
parties.  Niyazov decried the &intellectual8 approach 
towards democratization that he said took place in Russia. 
He said that in Russia the intelligentsia had rushed towards 
democratization with the French Revolution's rally cry of 
"liberte, egalite, fraternite..." but they were disappointed. 
 This approach had instead produced the oligarchs of the 
1990s who got into parliament and made laws to protect 
themselves. Niyazov stated that Turkmenistan would develop 
democracy more slowly and methodically.  Per the ambassador's 
questions as to how presidential candidates would be 
nominated, Niyazov responded that there were a couple of 
variants.  One variant was for would-be candidates to gather 
100,000 signatures.  However the People's Council will have 
the final approval over candidates, and will select between 
two and five candidates to campaign.  The party list process 
was another variant, but Turkmenistan had only been 
independent for 15 years and was not mature enough for this 
sort of system. 
 
 
Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶8. (C) Ambassador asked whether Niyazov would remain Chairman 
of the People's Council after the presidential elections in 
¶2009.  Niyazov gave an immediate and unqualified &yes8 to 
the question and then launched into a soliloquy about the 
negative aspects of Soviet succession struggles.  Each Soviet 
 
ASHGABAT 00000702  003 OF 005 
 
 
leader denigrated and denounced the identity ("lichnost") of 
his predecessor.  Niyazov said that this was not good for a 
transition of power or for society, and so he would stay on 
to ensure an honest government and "unity" for the transition 
period (i.e., &hands off my lichnost8).  Further, in order 
to prevent ethnic or inter-tribal strife, he was working hard 
to increase national identity such as the study of ancient 
Turkmen history.  &I cannot control the whole process,8 
said Niyazov, &but I can at least build a healthy 
environment.8  Niyazov also volunteered that he knew that 
many persons in Turkmenistan praised him, maybe excessively. 
Then reflecting for a second he noted that he had done a lot 
for the country so, &Spasebo.8 
 
 
Education: What is it Good For? 
------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Moving to education, Ambassador asked Niyazov if he 
would honor the pledge made to DAS Laura Kennedy 18 months 
ago that in two years Turkmenistan would increase its 
compulsory level of education from nine to 10 years.  Niyazov 
nodded yes and said that nine years of compulsory education 
had only been a temporary decision.  However he immediately 
decried the Soviet educational system saying that 12 years of 
compulsory education was a waste of time and much higher 
education was even more of a waste.  Harking back to the days 
at his alma mater in Leningrad, he recounted how he had 
studied for six years there only to not have the faintest 
idea of how things were produced or how to work in a power 
station.  He learned more in six months on the job than 
during his six years in the university.  The Turkmen were 
satisfied with their current educational system and they made 
sure that schools of higher education did not have 
superfluous subjects.  Ambassador noted that while practical 
experience was useful, another purpose of higher education 
was to provide a person with the intellectual capacity to 
reason and solve problems.  At this Niyazov waved his hand 
and signaled that the conversation should move on. 
 
 
Gas Negotiations and the Crafty Russians 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) Niyazov used the Russian word &khitri8 (crafty or 
sly) at least a dozen times to describe Russia's negotiation 
strategy with Turkmenistan over natural gas or to describe 
Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.  He acknowledged 
that Turkmenistan was at fault for making the mistake long 
ago of not getting a transit agreement for its natural gas 
from the Russians.  Then after describing the past year,s 
gas negotiations with the Russians (septels), he offered his 
bottom line - Turkmenistan demanded and expected to get U.S. 
$100/tcm of natural gas from Russia.  While Niyazov 
acknowledged that Russia had yet to agree, he credited this 
to the fact that it was still summer; come fall with lowering 
temperatures, he said, they will come around.  Niyazov said 
if Turkmenistan receives $100/tcm from Russia, it will demand 
the same from Iran in 2007. When Ambassador asked what he 
would do with his gas if he stopped selling to Russia, 
Niyazov responded "the Chinese will buy it." (Note: the 
Chinese pipeline, theoretically planned for 2009, faces many 
obstacles, including lack of information on reserves and lack 
of approval from transit countries for its route. End Note.) 
 
 
Security Cooperation and the War on Drugs 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (C) Ambassador reviewed other facets of U.S. ) Turkmen 
relations from her tour and thanked Niyazov for his support 
on the Proliferation Security Initiative, the U.S. Air Force 
Gas-and-Go operation at Ashgabat Airport, and cooperation 
against the spread of narcotics.  She noted that the United 
States was ready to do even more with Turkmenistan and that 
the next step regarding narcotics was to work on decreasing 
demand amongst the youth; the embassy is ready to assist with 
various programs to this end.  Niyazov thanked the Ambassador 
for her efforts in these fields but noted that although drug 
use sometimes took place in Turkmenistan, its youth mostly 
avoided drugs (Note: not from what we,ve seen).  He then 
said that Turkmenistan was openly fighting the war on drugs 
and used a recent staged narcotics burn as one example of 
their efforts.  Niyazov also used this topic to again 
castigate Russia for double-dealing, saying that 
 
ASHGABAT 00000702  004 OF 005 
 
 
approximately three years ago its special services had 
learned of a large shipment of Afghan heroin and opium that 
would transit Turkmenistan for Russia.  The Turkmen informed 
the Russian special services who asked that the shipment be 
allowed to go through so that they could arrest the 
distributors on their end.  According to Niyazov this did not 
happen, and the drugs wound up in Europe.  Referring to the 
Ambassador's upcoming posting in Tajikistan, Niyazov said 
that she would see this more often as the Russians were 
heavily involved in the drug trade there. 
 
 
Knee-jerking on NGOs 
-------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) Ambassador noted that bilateral relations could not 
just be restricted to security affairs and mentioned several 
embassy education programs, including PEAKS (which was never 
approved) and the recently-concluded international conference 
for English teachers (which was not without its challenges, 
septel).  Ambassador expressed disappointment that in the 
past year not one independent NGO had been registered in 
Turkmenistan and that registration was extremely difficult. 
She specifically asked as a personal favor to her and as a 
farewell gift that President Niyazov authorize the 
registration of the U.S. Exchange Alumni Association. 
Niyazov initially said, "Let (Foreign Minister) Meredov take 
care of it," but then warned the Ambassador not to create any 
organizations that "paid people to take to the streets and 
disrupt public order."  Ambassador responded that the U.S. 
Government never engaged in such matters and that the Alumni 
Association was not a dangerous group.  She emphasized that 
U.S. Embassy Ashgabat assistance to NGOs and other 
associations was limited to training and small grants to help 
local people solve their problems together with local 
authorities. 
 
¶13. (C) Ambassador concluded with a request that the 
government of Turkmenistan work cooperatively with the Charge 
d'Affaires and her eventual successor.  She also mentioned 
that former Ambassador to Turkmenistan and current PDAS 
Steven Mann would be in country next week and hoped to see 
Niyazov on July 17.  Niyazov demurred, citing an upcoming 
weeklong trip he planned to make to the Caspian Sea and the 
demands of the upcoming Wheat Holiday to mark the completion 
of the harvest.  After a brief discussion on her upcoming 
assignment to Tajikistan, during which Niyazov characterized 
the Tajiks as uneducated peasants, Ambassador returned to the 
theme of Independence Day, stating that our nation had 
learned that the only path to long term stability was to 
build a democratic process. 
 
 
Atmospherics 
------------ 
 
¶14. (C) As usual, Foreign Minister Meredov sat dutifully to 
Niyazov's right and took copious notes during the meeting. 
Despite the wide range of topics being discussed, Niyazov 
found time to cheerfully insult his foreign minister and 
discuss his personal affairs.  Niyazov joked about Meredov's 
divorce and how three years ago he forbid him to touch 
alcohol because whenever he drank his nose turned red and his 
speech became slurred.  Niyazov went on to claim that 
Meredov's father was a closet drinker.  Finally, he noted 
that during Soviet times, the KGB had recruited Meredov and 
former, now imprisoned, Foreign Ministers Batyr Berdiev and 
Boris Shikhmuradov when they had studied at the university in 
Moscow.  Niyazov then mumbled that, &this sort of thing did 
not happen at my polytechnic in Leningrad.8   Meredov took 
the remarks with a smile and an occasional nod of the head. 
 
¶15. (C) Niyazov appeared to be in good health with no 
mobility or flexibility problems when he moved.  He showed no 
signs of pain or fatigue; his complexion was fair and his 
eyes clear.  When he spoke it was with a firm and unwavering 
voice and he made cogent, rational (for him) arguments even 
if they were often bald-faced lies (e.g., drug use isn't a 
problem in Turkmenistan.)  He offered long soliloquies during 
the meeting, usually to attack the Russians or their Soviet 
predecessors, but these still were relatively focused and not 
the rambling remarks we sometimes hear. 
 
 
Comment 
 
ASHGABAT 00000702  005 OF 005 
 
 
------- 
 
¶16. (C) Despite his constant attacks against the former 
Soviet Union and the Soviet legacies in Turkmenistan, 
Niyazov's mindset remains that of a classic Homo Sovieticus, 
and as was said of the Bourbons after the Congress of Vienna, 
he has neither learned anything nor forgotten anything. 
Clearly wanting to establish a positive tone from the outset, 
Niyazov mouthed niceties about democratic procedures and 
institutions on the American Day of Independence, but 
simultaneously made it clear he has no intention of releasing 
the reins of power. We expect that our efforts to promote 
democratic and economic reform will remain enormously 
challenging, but as the last three years have made clear, 
persistent and patient engagement can produce some short-term 
success stories, while simultaneously keeping the door open 
for the exchange programs and civil society support necessary 
for longer-term stability and prosperity. 
JACOBSON