VZCZCXRO7121
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0567/01 1571253
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061253Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8841
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000567 
 
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
SUBJECT: ASHGABAT HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH AND APRIL 
 
REFERENCE A: Ashgabat 345 
REFERENCE B: Ashgabat 425 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) In March, post hosted two successful speaker programs 
[reftels A and B], a film festival to mark the end of Black History 
Month, and co-hosted Turkmenistan's third Fulbright Conference on 
Interdisciplinary Studies of the United States, focused on the theme 
of Rule of Law.  Meanwhile, post's English Language Fellow, alumni 
and teachers continued to provide opportunities for teacher training 
in the regions, and many marked the dual Women's Day holidays by 
reflecting on women's rights in Turkmenistan.  April saw debate 
preparations at the American Corners and Peace Corps sites blossom 
into the highly successful FLEX Regional Debate Tournament and the 
Peace Corps Model UN Tournament.  The same cooperative effort made 
possible events in honor of Global Youth Service Day.  End Summary. 
 
Fulbright Conference Focuses on Rule of Law 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) CI alumnus Serdar Jorayev took the lead in organizing the 
2007 Turkmenistan Fulbright Conference, with funding from a 
Democracy Outreach Alumni grant.  Held March 9 at Ashgabat's 
President Hotel, the conference featured U.S. speaker presentations 
on political communication by Dr. James Gregory Payne and human 
rights by Dr. Elbert Ransom. The event also included a presentation 
on English political and diplomatic phraseology and Internet 
communication by Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative Begench 
Karayev (himself a Fulbright alumnus) who last year had been unable 
to obtain his government's approval to attend.  Over 105 alumni of 
post-high-school U.S. funded exchange programs participated in three 
concurrent sessions tied to the theme of rule of law: Legal Studies 
in Turkmenistan and the United States, Social and Political 
Development of Central Asian Countries and Teaching English for 
Specific Purposes.  Presentations touched on a wide range of related 
themes. 
 
¶3.  (U) Funds from the grant supported publication of the 
presenters' theses in a conference booklet distributed at the 
conference and through the Public Affairs Section and American 
Corners throughout the year.  (Comment:  Publishing one's thesis is 
only a dream for most academics in Turkmenistan, as there are no 
independent printing presses and writers must incorporate praise of 
the Ruhnama and ruling regime into their works in order to improve 
chances of publication.  End Comment.)  Participant reaction to the 
conference was overwhelmingly positive, the result of 
all-too-infrequent exposure to such academic development 
opportunities.  At least two participants discussed ideas for future 
projects with embassy staff, such as implementing web design 
training in universities and schools. 
 
REGIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING BY FELLOW, ALUMNI 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4.  (U) On March 5, two 2006 FLEX alumni held their weekly English 
class for six children of the disabled at Turkmenbashy's Blind and 
Deaf Occupational Center -- a center established by Community 
Connection alumna with U.S. Government financial support.  This 
class and others like it in other regions help mainstream a 
marginalized population, as there is virtually no de facto social 
support for disabled children in Turkmenistan. 
 
¶5.  (U) Later in the month, two participants in the 2006 
International Teachers of English Conference in Ashgabat shared 
lessons from the conference about communicative teaching methodology 
with 10 Turkmenbashy teachers.  The two-hour seminar on March 11 
introduced the teachers to interactive teaching methods and 
Ashgabat-based resources such as the Embassy's Internet Resources 
Center and the Professional Organization of English Teachers (POET). 
 
 
¶6.  (U) Pending host government permission to conduct seminars on 
"Shaping the Way We Teach English: Successful Practices around the 
World" in state institutions, English Language Fellow John Mark King 
has been giving the workshop for local teachers at the American 
Corners in each region.  On March 24, he held the seminar for 14 
teachers at the Dashoguz American Corner.  In addition to learning 
creative teaching methods, the teachers also used this opportunity 
to describe to King the challenges they faced in the classroom.  In 
the absence of teachers' associations, such sessions provide both 
training and moral support for teachers who want to improve English 
language education in their schools. 
 
¶7.  (U) Meanwhile, two local teachers taught the first Dashoguz 
ACCESS class on March 9 for 11 students, at the American Corner.  To 
help control ongoing host government acrimony over the nature of the 
program, King helped establish firm parameters for the participating 
teachers and chaired the student selection process.  Basing the 
 
ASHGABAT 00000567  002 OF 003 
 
 
ACCESS classes at the Corner ensures a seamless follow-on for 
extracurricular activities and interaction between these beginning 
English students and the FLEX alumni who frequent the Center. 
 
¶8.  (U) Elsewhere in Dashoguz, a FLEX alumna in Gorogly etrap, 
organized an English language immersion and sports camp for 45 local 
secondary school students.  School #7 hosted the camp for 4th-9th 
graders, which offered various sports sessions as well as English 
language and U.S History classes along with an American Movie night. 
The camp wedded physical fitness with English to encourage 
self-study among the participants, and as a way of plugging the 
students into the networking resource of the American Corner. 
 
DEBATE SKILLS RECEIVE A BOOST 
----------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) Debate tournament and Model United Nations preparations 
continued through March at the American Corners, to culminate in an 
all-welayat FLEX-sponsored debate competition and a Peace 
Corps-organized annual Model UN conference on the theme of 
International Approaches to HIV/AIDS in Ashgabat in early and mid 
April.  Both competitions were held in English among participants 
chosen for their commitment to several weeks of practice sessions. 
Critical thinking and unscripted, non-regime managed public speaking 
are both strongly discouraged in the current public education 
system. Thus, these programs are the only outlet for these types of 
activities. 
 
GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY 
------------------------ 
 
¶10.  (U) After wrangling for host government permission for the 
event for two weeks, over 100 local young adults, ACCELS, IREX and 
embassy staff and Peace Corps Volunteers participated in a 
successful clean up event in the mountains around Ashgabat on April 
¶21.  Despite the fact that the host government withheld its 
permission for the group to conduct this public service until the 
afternoon before the event, a state newspaper journalist attended 
the entire day and her highly positive coverage appeared on 
government website www.turkmenistan.gov.tm on April 24.  An alumni 
grant supported the project -- an annual event in honor of Global 
Youth Service Day -- which resulted in the collection of two 
truckloads of garbage from the Akdere recreation area.  The event is 
popular because it provides a sense of accomplishment while also 
promoting a sense of community and volunteerism. 
 
¶12.  (U). Over 200 local students celebrated Earth Day in each of 
Turkmenistan's regional cities Ashgabat, Balkanabat, Dashoguz, Mary 
and Turkmenabat with Earth Day activities aimed to protect our 
planet.  Introducing Earth Day to young people and community 
members, GCE students and MITEs organized a series of clean-ups all 
over Turkmenistan. More than 800 young people cleaned regions parks, 
natural resorts, streets, and school yards.  More than 30 students 
and teachers participated in a GCE live online discussion called 
Give Thanks to Earth. To prepare for the forum, participants 
conducted Web-based research on environmental issues and 
conservation. Students shared their opinions, knowledge, and 
observations and advocated for environmental conservation. 
 
WOMEN SPOTLIGHTED IN MARCH 
-------------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) To commemorate International Women's Day on March 8 and 
Turkmenistan's Women's and Spring Holiday March 20-22, the American 
Corners hosted discussions and presentations on the women's rights 
movement and related themes.  Two male FLEX alumni held a 
presentation on the women's rights movement for 17 Mary American 
Corner visitors on March 19. The alumni profiled several famous U.S. 
women and led a discussion on gender equality issues in 
Turkmenistan. On March 20, five Turkmenabat FLEX alumni organized a 
celebration of famous U.S. women for 30 American Corner visitors. 
After a presentation on selected womens' impact on U.S. society, 
attendees divided into two teams (boys versus girls) and debated the 
topic "Women are better leaders in society than men."  In local 
society, where women are generally respected as family leaders, such 
discussions introduce local youth to the concept of political and 
economic equality and to the lively debate over civil rights in the 
United States. 
 
¶14.  (U) Late in March, the International Research and Exchanges 
Board (IREX) held two events on the theme of gender issues and 
discrimination with the American Bar Association's Central and 
Eastern European Law Initiative's (ABA/CEELI) Senior Legal Advisor 
Jacquelyn Foster.  A one-day seminar on March 24 for UGRAD alumni at 
the ABA/CEELI conference room focused on domestic violence.  Foster 
led a series of presentations and discussions on types of domestic 
violence, and international agreements to which Turkmenistan is a 
party. Alumni learned ways to provide assistance to victims of 
violence.  Foster led a more general discussion on discrimination at 
the Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) site in Ashgabat on 
 
ASHGABAT 00000567  003 OF 003 
 
 
March 27 which included alumni from throughout Turkmenistan.  Of 
particular interest was discrimination against non-Russian ethnic 
minorities in Russia, and general trends of discrimination in the 
United States.  Candid discussions of gender and ethnic problems in 
the United States open a safe transition into discussions of these 
similar issues in the host country.  In Turkmenistan's 'Golden 
Century' where life is perfect, such controversial issues are not 
discussed publicly. 
 
LOCAL STUDENTS BRING PUBLIC HEALTH FORWARD 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶15.  (U) Seven students from the Turkmenabat medical vocational 
school prepared brochures in late March titled "Bird Flu and the 
Preventative Measures Against it" as a result of seminars on the 
subject held at the IATP site in Turkmenabat.  As these future 
doctors prepared for their final exams at the region's sole medical 
institute, a lack of current medical resources at local libraries 
brought them to the IATP Center. During computer and Internet skills 
courses at the Center they learned how to research avian flu and to 
prepare their brochures. They will now provide these resources to 
their peers and public.  The new booklet helps advertise the value 
of Internet access in plugging gaps in public health awareness. 
 
¶16.  (U) On April 11, the Tukrmenbashy American Corner staff, local 
alumni and a sports trainer conducted a karate competition for 30 
young athletes from low-income families. The FLEX alumni served as 
judges in this event organized to promote teamwork and regular 
participation in sports activities. Physical education and organized 
sports competition have largely been removed from local life due to 
budget cuts to state agencies.  Meanwhile, the need for such healthy 
activities is increased by the related issues of high unemployment, 
the lack of places in university, and the growing problem of drug 
use among youth. 
 
INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND ONLINE EXCHANGES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶17.  (U) Working through the American Corners and when possible the 
IATP site, local teachers and students have been creating an 
Internet site about Turkmenistan, "Wiki Turkmenistan."  In March, 75 
current students, five FLEX alumni and eight trainers -- local 
secondary school teachers -- from Ashgabat, Turkmenabat, Mary and 
Dashoguz -- completed pages in Turkmen and Russian honoring famous 
Turkmen women, to mark International Women's Day. 
The trilingual site -- which provides users the power to edit and 
add content (http://turkmenistan.wikispaces.com)-- already contains 
over 276 pages. 
 
¶18.  (U) Freelance journalist and International Visitor Leadership 
Program alumna Sona Chuli Kuli held a workshop March 16-17 to train 
15 high school and university students basic journalism skills.  The 
workshop, held at the IREX Center in Ashgabat, was intended to 
increase participants' awareness of broadcast media methods and 
content, and improve their writing, editing, public speaking and 
interviewing skills.  Participants discussed the relationship 
between media and the Internet while concentrating on the current 
restrictive environment for media in Turkmenistan.  After the 
workshops, students also registered and started using the first 
stage of retired journalist Dina Bayborodina's distance learning 
course "The Journalism Kitchen," which includes online lectures, 
polls, puzzles, and forums to enhance the students' critical 
thinking and writing skills. Participants plan to organize a Young 
Journalists Club to write and share news on community events by 
creating an online website for the club.  (Comment:  No formal 
journalism studies are offered in Turkmenistan at secondary schools 
or higher education institutions.  End Commend.) 
 
¶19.  (U). Interim Charg d'Affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland 
discussed U.S. foreign policy and bilateral cooperation with over 60 
Turkmen residents in an online forum on April 6. The one-hour online 
discussion in Russian, English and Turkmen 
(http://forum.iatp.net/viewtopic.php?t=99) included local 
journalists, government and NGO officials, alumni of 
US-government-sponsored exchange programs, disabled residents, and 
others who joined the forum from the IATP centers in Mary, 
Turkmenabat, Ashgabat, and the American Center Dashoguz. 
Participants submitted questions and Hoagland responded, clarifying 
points of bilateral policy and discussing ways in which post hopes 
to expand its work in Turkmenistan -- particularly in the field of 
education. These forums also help the local population to learn the 
importance that the United States places on development issues, and 
the U.S. government's desire to create a peaceful and collaborative 
partnership with Turkmenistan. 
 
BRUSH