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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ASHGABAT 000459 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY); INL (BUHLER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SNAR PINR KIPR PREL AF TX
SUBJECT: Turkmenistan and Afghanistan Twice Talk on the Border, with 
a Little Help from their Friends 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Embassy staff met with border and counternarcotics 
officials from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan during a first ever 
multilateral meeting with U.S. Embassy Kabul representatives at the 
Aquina border crossing checkpoint in Afghanistan on April 9.  The 
following week, embassy staff participated in a cross-border 
integrated border management workshop on Turkmenistan's side of the 
border with representatives from both governments.  Both discussions 
shared similar objectives for encouraging cross-border 
communication, information sharing and training.  The Afghanistanis 
were both enthusiastic and optimistic about the benefits of 
increased cooperation, as were the working-level Turkmenistan 
participants.  However, while senior-level government of 
Turkmenistan officials proved to be friendly in side conversations, 
they provided little more than high-level window dressing during the 
meetings.  End Summary. 
 
The Road to Afghanistan 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Embassy staff, and Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister of 
National Security, Agajan Pashiyev, traveled to the U.S. Central 
Command-funded border crossing checkpoint project at Imam Nazar on 
April 9.  The Government of Turkmenistan cleared all formal border 
zone checkpoints for the embassy delegation and twice hosted the 
delegation to meals en route to and from the border with 
Afghanistan.  (Comment: Embassy vehicles passed unimpeded through 
checkpoints that have historically delayed the journey by up to 30 
minutes.  End Comment.)  During breakfast, Pashiyev was cordial and 
responsive to questions regarding basic border information. 
Pashiyev said that he had worked at the Serhetabad checkpoint, the 
second of two checkpoints shared with Afghanistan, and he confirmed 
what post had heard anecdotally about reduced vehicular traffic and 
contraband seizures during the last couple of years.  Pashiyev 
credited the professionalism of officials working in Serhetabad with 
the success.  (Note:  The U.K. Embassy completed construction of an 
enhanced checkpoint at Serhetabad in late 2004, which included 
additional equipment purchased by the United Nations Office on Drugs 
and Crime (UNODC) with USG funds.  End Note.) 
 
A Small Gathering in Afghanistan 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Turkmenistan's Consul General in Mazar-e Sharif met embassy 
staff and Pashiyev at the border for an expeditious crossing to 
Afghanistan.  Joining the delegation from Turkmenistan were 
Afghanistan-based Border Management Task Force (BMTF) officials, 
Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and INL 
Military and Civilian Police Mentors, German Police Project Office 
(GPPO), and local Afghanistani and Aquina checkpoint officials. 
Local political representatives opened the standing-room-only 
meeting (approximately 25 people) with laudatory remarks for their 
neighbor, Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan provides low-cost energy to 
northern Afghanistan and hosted Afghan refugees during the Taliban 
regime.  The officials also noted a positive current border 
relationship and said that the Aquina checkpoint was the only border 
point that remained open with Turkmenistan during 25 years of war. 
The need for development of an independent Afghanistan, the official 
said, hinged on continued assistance from the international 
community, and included a request for infrastructure, equipment and 
training.  The Government of Turkmenistan neither offered 
introductory remarks nor presented information on border management 
in Turkmenistan, although both officials from Turkmenistan took 
copious notes.  Pashiyev's only participation was when he asked the 
Afghanistan-based U.S. border management official to provide more 
detailed information about plans to launch ground sensors and mobile 
units along Afghanistan's borders. 
 
International Assistance Afghanistan's Borders 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00000459  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) During the ensuing brief but comprehensive working meeting, 
the U.S. and German border management officials working in 
Afghanistan shared the overall border enhancement program for 
Afghanistan.  They described a new border police strategy based on 
mobile interdiction units.  Stressing the reality of a gradual 
timeline, the ultimate goal was to string the border with ground 
sensors and have the mobile units respond to sensor stimuli.  The 
border with Turkmenistan was considered relatively secure, and 
Aquina is number 8 out of 14 national border crossing points in 
terms of customs revenue.  Supplementing the requisite 
infrastructure and equipment, the BMTF in Afghanistan is presenting 
a new Border Police Advance Training Plan that will complement the 
new mobile interdiction strategy.  The bottom line, there will be 
more officers that are better trained on the borders over the course 
of the next 1 1/2 to 2 years. 
 
Cross-border Opportunities 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The BMTF/GPPO officers clearly communicated steps forward 
in cross-border dialogue and cooperation with Turkmenistan.  In 
regard to cooperative work, the successful Tajikistan-Afghanistan 
cross-border liaison officer exchange program was introduced as a 
way to improve information sharing.  In addition, Embassy Ashgabat's 
proposed project to improve communication between Imam Nazar and the 
capital Ashgabat with the possibility of extending the network 
across the border to the Aquina station was well-received by the 
delegates.  Both were considered potential first steps toward 
enhanced cross-border security. 
 
Cross-Border Training at Imam Nazar 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Following on the heels of the meeting in Aquina, the UNODC 
in Ashgabat hosted an embassy-initiated integrated border management 
workshop at Imam Nazar for officers from both Turkmenistan and 
Afghanistan, April 16-18.  Deputy Ministers for Customs and Internal 
Affairs represented Turkmenistan during the conference opening and 
Deputy Chief of Mission in Ashgabat Muhammed Osman Seriara 
represented Afghanistan.  Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister for 
Customs, Amanmamed Muhamedkuliev, made some cursory remarks 
regarding Turkmenistan's geographical location next to Afghanistan 
and noted an existing positive relationship; he did not provide any 
specific examples.  Muhamedkuliev thanked the U.S. Government 
several times in his brief speech for the new building under 
construction at the checkpoint.  First Deputy Minister for Internal 
Affairs Batyrmuhammed Aymyradov declined to speak.  In contrast, 
Seriara spoke highly of Afghanistan's neighbor, thanked Turkmenistan 
for the inexpensive supply of electricity and welcomed the 
opportunity for expanded cross-border training and cooperation.  All 
three senior officials left at the close of the opening remarks. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Afghanistan's Deputy Chief of the Counternarcotics Police, 
Colonel Amanullah Wahidi, and Chief of the Afghanistan Border Police 
in Aquina, Captain Pir Mohammed Alkoziy, along with Turkmenistan's 
regional, district and checkpoint officers representing the State 
Border Service, State Customs Service, the Ministry of Internal 
Affairs and the Ministry of National Security attended the three-day 
working-level workshop.  Highlighting the course was Colonel 
Wahidi's unscheduled remarks on the first day outlining the need for 
cooperation.  Despite the spartan conditions and mid-afternoon time 
slot, Wahidi commanded the undivided attention of every Turkmenistan 
official present when he read out statistical information and spoke 
frankly about the narcotics situation in Afghanistan.  Wahidi's 
presentation even elicited unsolicited questions from Turkmenistan's 
participants. 
 
Turkmenistan: Improve Internal Checkpoint Functions 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) The high-water mark for the conference came during the 
final discussion session when the UNODC representative in Ashgabat 
put the participants from Turkmenistan on the spot to identify areas 
 
ASHGABAT 00000459  003 OF 004 
 
 
for future cooperation with Afghanistan and internal areas of 
improvement at Turkmenistan's border crossing checkpoints.  Most 
notable for future project development was the working officials' 
view that internal reorganization at the checkpoints was needed. 
For example, participants could not identify the lead agency at the 
border crossing checkpoints, although by consensus they agreed it 
must be the State Border Service because of the security element. 
Turkmenistan's officials recognized key areas for improvement that 
centered on too many agencies with redundant agendas (e.g. there are 
three health-related agencies).  There were calls for an interagency 
coordination committee in Ashgabat and an expressed need for a 
universal database that all agencies could use at each checkpoint. 
 
 
Cross-border Viewpoints: 
------------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) In regard to how to improve cross-border security relations 
between the countries, there were complementary concerns and 
divergent views.  Afghanistan's representatives asked for more 
cross-border workshops with their Turkmenistan counterparts and for 
the opportunity to have increased working-level discussions. 
Turkmenistan's participants were eager to exchange more 
counternarcotics information and looked for additional international 
assistance to build modern border crossing checkpoints and learn 
modern investigative methodologies on contraband interdiction. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Regional: The two cross-border meetings were successful 
first steps.  The ultimate goal is for the international players to 
work themselves out of their facilitator roles, but that is a long 
way off.  The Afghanistanis were consistently eager participants who 
welcomed any dialogue on security, shared internal security 
information and encouraged future expanded cooperation.  The senior 
Turkmenistani officials who participated at both events were much 
less engaging.  There was an interest in gathering information from 
the Afghanistanis, but not an overt willingness to interact with 
their counterparts.  Deputy Minister Pashiyev even asked the 
delegation to leave the Aquina Checkpoint just after one hour and 
before eating the large lunch that had been prepared for the special 
meeting.  The delegation's premature departure would have been 
insulting in both cultures.  At this point, the Government of 
Turkmenistan appears to be willing to actively gather information 
from Afghanistan, but only to passively engage in establishing a 
bilateral cross-border working relationship that includes 
information sharing. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Turkmenistan-centric: The conference solidified what 
embassy officers have long suspected and confirmed during the two 
border crossing checkpoint projects: there are too many stove-piped 
ministries working on Turkmenistan's borders.  Relevant information 
is compartmentalized by each ministry with a deleterious impact on 
border management.  Steps forward for U.S. engagement must include a 
commitment on the part of the Government of Turkmenistan to remedy 
the border management problem and share relevant border information. 
 The embassy has long argued that the projects are not just about 
infrastructure, but about facilitating a comprehensive approach to 
improved border management.  There needs to be a demonstrated 
senior-level commitment from Turkmenistan that the government is 
willing to cooperate openly.  Options available to the government 
include: 
 
 --Sharing specific narcotics seizure data, not just  year-end 
numbers, but successive events throughout the  year (that mostly 
occur in border areas); 
 
 -- Declarative information on the function of each  agency involved 
in counternarcotics efforts, and who  has the ultimate authority at 
the border; 
 
 -- Internal review of border crossing checkpoint  organization and 
 
ASHGABAT 00000459  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
function with a commitment toward  reform. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The Imam Nazar station is scheduled to open on August 13. 
 Embassy Ashgabat is tentatively planning to host representatives of 
the Nevada Congressional Delegation, Department of State and CENTCOM 
representatives, as well as high-level delegations from the 
Governments of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.  Embassy will continue 
to emphasize the need to develop cross-border cooperation and to 
seek additional resources to develop relevant programs.   End 
Comment. 
 
BRUSH