VZCZCXRO8798
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1285/01 3531255
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191255Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8110
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0453
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0508
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0067
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1709
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUETIAA/DIRNSA FT GEORGE G MEADE MD
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1707

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ASHGABAT 001285 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY) 
INFO SCA/PPD (VAN DE VATE), IIP/G/NEA-SA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PREL TX US
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF TURKMENISTAN'S FLEX OBSTRUCTION MORE 
ORCHESTRATED/WIDESPREAD THAN IN PRIOR YEARS 
 
REF: Ashgabat 1194 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) This year Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) recruitment has 
encountered an unprecedented level of interference and 
disinformation from the Ministry of Education (MOE), despite 
official approval of the program and host government rhetoric that 
the problems will be resolved.  As in past years, host government 
interference has been directed through schools at the aspiring 
student participants and their families and teachers, but the scale 
of this year's harassment suggests a central directive by the 
Ministry of Education to hinder every aspect of the recruitment and 
testing process.  Nearly all Round I and II testing is complete as 
of December 18; while the total number of participants (1425) is 
down just 0.6 percent over last year's -- already an artificially 
low number -- the variation between testing sites indicates the 
skewed demographic distribution of this year's testing pool.  Charge 
has protested host government interference in the testing process to 
the MFA on a daily basis and has noted that she no longer can vouch 
for the integrity of the testing program.  Post is strongly 
requesting that the government approve retesting in Turkmenabat, 
Ahal (Tejen and Ruhabat) and Balkanabat, the sites of the most 
egregious harassment, in order to re-establish the integrity of the 
selection process.  End Summary. 
 
FLEX RECRUITMENT UNDER COORDINATED ASSAULT 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) The FLEX recruitment process consists of three rounds of 
tests, with the first a basic test of English.  Those who pass Round 
I are invited to Round II, a mock Test of English as a Foreign 
Language.  Once Round II results are returned in 4-5 weeks, high 
scoring candidates are invited to Round III, which includes a more 
detailed application and interview process.  The only documents a 
student needs for admittance to the testing site are a birth 
certificate (a copy is fine initially) and a photograph.  The host 
government's tactics to hinder the testing process this year 
included, but were not limited to, the following: 
 
-- Telling students that being a Turkmen speaker and having a 
recommendation letter from one's school/teacher were requirements 
for taking the FLEX test. 
 
-- Attempting to screen students for Turkmen language and/or 
recommendation letters at the testing site and attempting to bar 
entry for students without these documents. 
 
-- Announcing or organizing mandatory tests of Turkmen history, 
language, and culture, for non-ethnic Turkmen students planning to 
take the FLEX test. 
 
-- Openly telling non-ethnic Turkmen students who passed to the 
second round that they would not be allowed to participate in the 
program and pre-registering students so that only those registered 
by their schools were allowed to attend the FLEX test. 
 
-- Holding last-minute compulsory student activities on the day of 
FLEX testing, such as academic "Olympiads." 
 
-- Threatening students with expulsion for participation or 
suspected participation in the FLEX test, even if the test was on a 
Sunday. 
 
--Threatening to fire students' teachers or parents if the student 
participated in testing. 
 
-- Attempting to prevent entry to students from rural areas or 
students who were poorly dressed/appeared to be poor or from rural 
areas. 
 
-- Removing or attempting to remove students already screened and 
approved by ACCELS staff from the testing room. 
 
-- Verbally harassing/discouraging students waiting to enter 
testing. 
 
ASHGABAT 00001285  002 OF 006 
 
 
 
-- Claiming that the FLEX program would force children to join 
American religious sects and/or that those who pass would not be 
allowed to enter Turkmen universities, or be employed in 
TurkQnistan as a result of their participation in the FLEX program 
 
 
When compared with Round I turnout during 2005-06 recruitment, 
participation this year dropped dramatically in Turkmenabat (54 
percent down), Ruhabat and Tejen (51 percent down), and Balkanabat 
(40 percent down), with rises in Turkmenbashy (up 69 percent); Mary 
(up 10 percent); Dashoguz (up 36 percent); and Ashgabat (up 36 
percent). 
 
BATTLE TO BEGIN RECRUITMENT A TASTE OF WHAT WAS TO COME 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶3.  (U) As in previous years, embassy submitted a request for 
permission to conduct Round I and II FLEX testing in autumn, and as 
in previous years the Ministry of Education delayed its permission 
until the last possible moment, following weeks of daily requests 
from PAO and Charge for recruitment to commence.  In the interim, 
ACCELS advertised through a series of information sessions held at 
the American Corners and through word of mouth.  Finally, the 
government "approved" the program (which has operated virtually 
unchanged for over 10 years) via diplomatic note 09/5242n of 
November 24.  The government issued diplomatic note 09/6347n on 
November 27, 2006 requesting a cap of a total of 50 students be 
accepted to the program.  Embassy has not responded to the note, but 
in discussions with MOE and MFA has rejected the idea of a cap. 
Upon receipt of the diplomatic note approving the program, ACCELS 
immediately began recruiting in the regions outside Ashgabat. 
 
¶4.  (U) Following last year's practice, post sent at least one 
embassy representative to each testing site in order to deter 
government intimidation of the applicants, their families and 
teachers.  This presence dampened some host government harassment of 
participants at the testing sites, but post heard reports from all 
sites but one -- Mary -- that many interested students never even 
approached the testing site because of threats they received a day 
or more prior to the test. 
 
Balkan Welayat 
-------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) The first round of testing took place in Turkmenbashy City 
and Balkanabat in Balkan Welayat (province) on November 29 and 30. 
Host government interference was apparent from the outset, and 
included a systematic attempt to discriminate against Balkan 
students based on their ethnicity.  In advance of the testing, 
embassy learned from ACCELS that students in Balkan Welayat were 
being told by their schools that only Turkmen speakers with 
reference letters from their schools could participate in the first 
round of English language testing for FLEX.  School directors were 
instructed to notify their students that those participating in the 
FLEX test without a reference would get disciplinary action for 
missing classes at school and for not obeying the director's 
instructions.  Supposedly, all students who had a good academic 
performance were given references by their schools regardless of 
nationality, but some non-ethnic Turkmen students reported that thQ 
had to beg their school directors and/or teachers to give them a 
reference.  Education officials in both Turkmenbashy and Balkanabat 
told embassy FSN that these requirements resulted from direct 
instructions from MOE.  Students and teachers reported that school 
officials had gathered non-ethnic Turkmen students and told them 
that they in particular would be prohibited from taking the test. 
 
¶6.  (U) Embassy has also learned of widespread, internal MOE 
screening for FLEX in Balkanabat.  In some schools, the deputy 
principals, a Turkmen language teacher, a Turkmen history teacher 
and a Ruhnama teacher tested non-Turkmen students' knowledge of 
Turkmen language, history and Ruhnama.  (Ethnic Turkmen students 
were not tested in this way.  It is unclear whether "failing" these 
tests kept non-Turkmen from participating in the FLEX testing.)  The 
Balkan Welayat Department of Education tried to prevent students 
with "satisfactory" marks (3 or similar to a "C") and below, in 
Turkmen language, from participating in FLEX test. 
 
ASHGABAT 00001285  003 OF 006 
 
 
 
¶7.  (U) At both Balkan testing sites, embassy and ACCELS staff 
witnessed groups of teachers and school administrators trying to 
prevent anyone who did not speak Turkmen and without a reference 
letter from participating in the test.  In a couple of cases, 
directors of schools entered the testing room and tried to prevent 
students without reference letters from taking the test; when they 
were told by embassy and ACCELS staff that no references were needed 
for the test, they then tried to harass those students by saying 
that they would have a separate "talk" at school next day.  Embassy 
continued to receive reports of harassment even after the testing, 
with several Round II participants reporting that their teachers 
told them they would not be allowed to go to the United States on 
FLEX because of their ethnicity. 
 
¶8.  Embassy personnel in Turkmenbashy and Balkanabat engaged 
throughout the day with welayat and/or city Department of Education 
officials, school administrators, and parents and students to combat 
misinformation and physically ensure that students could reach and 
stay in the testing rooms.  ACCELS staff held additional Round I 
tests in Turkmenbashy and in Balkanabat to accommodate large numbers 
of students in the latter case and late arrivals who had been 
prevented through threats from attending the morning Round I test. 
 
 
MARY -- AN ISLAND OF COMPARATIVE CALM 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  POLOff and POL/ECON FSN accompanied ACCELS to testing in Mary 
City on December 4, though their main role became herding the 
excited students into lines and ensuring that the many students who 
turned out for Round I were able to take the Round I test in one of 
the four shifts held throughout the day.  Programming and 
recruitment in Mary was been relatively problem-free compared to 
other regions. 
 
AHAL: SHOWDOWN IN A GHOST TOWN 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10.  (U) Testing in Ahal Welayat took place over two days, on 
December 6 in Tejen and December 8 in Ruhabat, and the low turnout 
bore the marks of MOE interference.  A/DCM and POL/ECON FSN attended 
the Tejen testing, while Charge, CAO, and POL/ECON FSN attended the 
testing in Ruhabat; the Charge also met with the local district 
governor and national and local education officials on December 8. 
A representative from the Ahal educational department directly told 
the ACCELS Country Director that school administrators pre-selected 
students for the FLEX test according to whether they demonstrated 
good behavior and good English skills.  He said that the move was 
intended to "help" ACCELS recruit only those students who would best 
represent their country. 
 
¶11.  (U) In Tejen, students reported to ACCELS that they had been 
instructed by their teachers that producing a "maglumat" and/or 
pre-registering to attend the testing were ACCELS requirements. 
(Comment:  The "maglumat" is a document, similar to the Third 
Reich-period Aryan racial purity Ahnenpass, tracing one's Turkmen 
genealogy back three generations; it is a required document when 
applying to university and for state employment.  End Comment.)  One 
student in Tejen was intercepted within the school doors and 
directed to the school administrator's office, where, because he 
could not produce his maglumat he was sent home; A/DCM found him 
outside and escorted him back to the testing room. 
 
¶12.  (U) For the Ruhabat testing, post received reports from 
parents, students and teachers from various schools in the town's 
larger neighbor, Abadan, that the city's schools would be holding 
mandatory Olympiad tryouts on December 8.  Post heard that those 
students who called in sick would be reprimanded, on assumption that 
they were taking the FLEX test, and that the teachers of 
participating students would be fired.  Students who appeared for 
testing in Ruhabat confirmed that they were attending in violation 
of their school directors' and teachers' orders.  Most of the three 
dozen participating students -- of which only four were female -- 
came from the Turkmen-Turkish High School.  Following the morning 
Round I test, the school director demanded the list of all students 
who participated in Round I, in violation of ACCELS policy. 
 
ASHGABAT 00001285  004 OF 006 
 
 
 
¶13.  (U) Charge personally appealed to the students, parents, 
teachers and MOE representatives present for Round I in Ruhabat to 
tell their interested friends that they could come for Round I later 
in the day, if they needed to, and that they were welcome to test in 
Ashgabat on December 17.  During her subsequent meeting, MOE, MFA 
and school officials insisted there had been no effort to disrupt 
the testing and gently suggested that "perhaps this year there was 
less interest in going to America."  Charge replied that a 50% drop 
in interest in the FLEX program over the course of the year was a 
statistical impossibility.  Rather, she said, the government was 
making a concerted effort to prevent children from applying. 
 
¶14.  (U) In a separate meeting with the Ruhabat District Governor, 
Amansoltan Mahmudova, Charge said she was surprised and disappointed 
to see so few children from the president's own birthplace applying 
for the program.  Charge encouraged Mahmudova to have a strong 
showing of Ruhabat Etrap applicants during the December 17 testing 
in Ashgabat. 
 
MORE FROM THE TOWN THAT BANS HALLOWEEN 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶15.  (U) Government harassment reached its most dramatic form on 
December 10-11 during testing in Turkmenabat City, Turkmenistan's 
second most populous city after Ashgabat.  Historically a difficult 
area for post programming, the local education representative, 
Kerimberdi Masyrypov, has been especially nasty toward the American 
Corner and its partners in the past two years (reftel). 
 
¶16.  (U) Fewer than half the usual number of students turned out for 
Round I testing on Sunday, December 10; ACCELS learned that many 
students had been asked to sign a form promising not to participate 
in FLEX; that their parents had been threatened with firing if their 
children participated; and that schools threatened to lower 
students' grades and fire individual teachers if students 
participated.  Moreover, after ACCELS set a date for testing in 
Turkmenabat, a mandatory all-city, all-subject Olympiad was 
scheduled for December 10.  As a result, fewer than 130 students 
took the first round test; Turkmenabat's seven-year average for 
Round I turnout is 238 students. 
 
¶17.  (U) Before the arrival of ACCELS and embassy representatives, 
Masyrypov barred test takers, their parents, as well as 
ACCELS-designated test proctors from entering the building.  He also 
announced to parents that FLEX would send their children to join 
religious sects in the United States.  Under his direction, local 
Education Department officials sought to inspect all birth 
certificates (instead of ACCELS) and to prevent parents from 
attending the ACCELS pre-test presentation.  These issues were 
overcome, yet PAO and PD FSN observed teachers verbally harassing 
and trying to convince waiting students to leave. 
 
¶18.  (U) ACCELS announced additional Round I tests for Monday 
December 11 -- a plan Ministry of Education representative Nury 
Bayramov verbally endorsed in two separate phone calls with PAO. 
However, Bayramov reportedly never passed on this message, leading 
Masyrypov to bar students interested in Round I from entering the 
school on the 11th. 
 
¶19.  (U) December 11 testing for round II hit major resistance from 
local officials led by Masyrypov.  After officials barred parents 
from listening to the pre-Round II announcement, ACCELS decided to 
give its presentation outside the school entrance.  Given 
restrictions on movement and the intimidation at the school, ACCELS 
conducted additional, limited testing at the American Corner.  The 
American Corner was visited first by Masyrypov, then later by two 
local officials demanding to inspect the premises, who then forced 
three of four students to leave a round II test; the fourth student 
left of her own accord out of fear.  Several other interested 
students who arrived hoping to take the test were turned away. 
Local officials threatened an ACCELS staff member at the American 
Corner, and later at her home, with unspecified Ministry of National 
Security (MNB) action. 
 
DASHOGUZ - NUMBERS UP, DESPITE HARRASSMENT 
------------------------------------------ 
 
ASHGABAT 00001285  005 OF 006 
 
 
 
¶20.  (U) A/DCM and PD FSN attended testing in Dashoguz on December 
13, where the numbers were up despite stories that most children in 
the city had been warned the day before by their school directors 
not to attend testing.  ACCELS learned that at least three children 
in particular who had been preparing for the test were stopped from 
attending.  During the day A/DCM stopped a school director from 
trying to remove one child from the testing because he did not have 
a recommendation letter; shortly afterwards, officials from the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provincial government and the municipal 
education department arrived, and A/DCM talked to them, stressing 
U.S. interest in ensuring that testing be transparent and 
non-discriminatory.  As at the other testing sites, several students 
arrived after school hours because they had not been able to obtain 
permission to come during the day. 
 
ASHGABAT 
-------- 
 
¶21.  (U) Charge's months-long request for a meeting with Minister of 
Education Shemshat Annagylyjova finally was granted at the last hour 
of Friday, December 15, the last working day of the FLEX testing 
period.  During this meeting, the Charge and PAO pushed for a 
cancellation of the Ashgabat city-wide Olympiad scheduled for 
Sunday, December 17 (during Ashgabat Round I testing).  The minister 
relented only by canceling the Olympiad for the test site, School 
¶15.  The Charge also warned that a high-level State Department 
official would be sending a letter to President Niyazov protesting 
MOE interference in this year's FLEX program recruitment.  She said 
only MOE agreement to retest in Balkanabat, Turkmenabat, Tejen and 
Ruhabat could prevent this letter.  Charge also noted that many of 
these problems could have been averted if Annagylyjova had agreed to 
meet earlier in the process and if the process had been approved two 
months earlier, as the embassy had requested.  Annagylyjova 
responded that she had been too busy with the second opening of the 
Turkmen Fairy Tales amusement park to meet.  (Comment:  The $50 
million MOE-funded complex had its first opening a month earlier for 
Independence Day, but MOE had been unable to train park operators 
sufficiently to keep the park open.  The park "reopened" as part of 
the DeQmber 11 Neutrality Day activities).  She admitted that MOE 
was pre-screening for Turkmen ethnic purity and also that the 
Olympiads had been scheduled for the same dates as the FLEX testing, 
but denied there had been any written or oral instruction for MOE 
officials to disrupt the testing.  After Annagylyjova accused Charge 
of spreading rumors and false information, Charge responded with a 
quote from Annagylyjova to President Niyazov when accepting her new 
duty as Rector of Turkmen-Turkish University:  "I promise to work 
honestly."  Charge noted that that was how she served her president 
and she expected Annagylyjova to do the same. 
 
¶22.  (U) Charge saw Foreign Minister Meredov later that evening at 
Kazakhstani National Day and alerted him to the State Department 
letter.  She noted her meeting with Minister Annagylyjova was too 
little, too late, and said that there was nothing she could do to 
stop the letter, absent government agreement to retest at 
Balkanabat, Turkmenabat, Tejen and Ruhabat.  Meredov implored Charge 
to act "wisely," and said he was certain we could find a solution. 
 
 
¶23.  (U) As expected, there was no interference from school or 
ministry officials at the Ashgabat testing site on December 17, 
although students trickled in throughout the day as they snuck out 
of Olympiads or finished their Olympiads early.  ACCELS opted to 
score all tests immediately, leaving no opportunity for MOE 
interference on Monday, and began three days of Round II testing on 
December 19.  The last Ashgabat Round II test date, December 20, is 
also a make-up test date for the children in Turkmenabat who were 
kicked out of their Round II test.  The Ashgabat testing site 
usually draws four to five times the numbers at other sites, and is 
open to students from all regions.  This year post was hoping for 
higher numbers of regional participants -- only about 6% came from 
outside Ashgabat and those numbers did not include students ACCELS 
knew had been intQidated from testing at their home testing sites. 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
ASHGABAT 00001285  006 OF 006 
 
 
 
¶24.  (SBU) The fiasco in Turkmenabat demonstraQs that the host 
government will continue to use any means to disrupt FLEX testing. 
The host government may be hoping the higher turnout in Ashgabat 
will assuage post's efforts to demand re-testing, but post is 
convinced that this year's bullying is only a prelude to 
difficulties in Round III and beyond.  For example, MOE still is 
insisting on a cap of 50 students.  While our Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs interlocutors express concern about post's protests and 
Department's reinforcement through Turkmenistan Ambassador Orazov, 
the host government has done nothing to improve the situation.  Two 
individuals in particular have defined themselves as human rights 
violators by practicing blatant discrimination against 
Turkmenistan's minorities:  MFA's Nury Bayramov and MOE's 
Turkmenabat representative, Kerimberdy Masyrypov.  Moreover, as the 
Minister of Education repeatedly dodged post's requests for a 
meeting to discuss the situation until the "final hour" before the 
last scheduled FLEX test, only a threat to go directly to President 
Niyazov reduced -- but did not eliminate entirely -- interference in 
the Ashgabat testing.  MOE once again tried to force the 50-student 
cap, which embassy has steadfastly rejected.  Post will continue to 
demand that ACCELS be permitted to retest in Turkmenabat, Ahal 
Welayat, and Balkanabat, where student numbers were lowest and 
intimidation most egregious.  End Comment. 
 
BRUSH