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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ASHGABAT 000065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, H, EEB (AMB. MANN) 
PLEASE PASS TO USTDA DAN STEIN 
H PLEASE PASS TO SENATOR LUGAR 
ASTANA FOR USAID/CEN 
USAID/W FOR EE/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID EPET AF AZ UZ TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  SENATOR RICHARD LUGAR AND FOREIGN 
MINISTER MEREDOV, JANUARY 12, 2008 
 
REF: ASHGABAT 0062 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY: SUMMARY:  During a positive and 
businesslike meeting on January 12, Foreign Minister Meredov 
told Senator Lugar Turkmenistan 
 
-- has designed its new foreign policy to further expand and 
deepen relations in the world, focuses on improving regional 
relations (especially with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan), and 
pays special attention to the "powerful countries" -- Russia, 
China, and the United States; 
 
-- desires to expand its security relationship with the 
United States, but asks that Washington be patient as 
Ashgabat reviews and carefully vets all the new proposals on 
the table; 
 
-- takes keen interest in Afghanistan and seeks to play a 
bigger role in reconstruction, especially electricity and 
transportation; 
 
-- has proposed a Pipeline Security Convention to the United 
Nations, in part, because of the desire for a 
Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline; 
 
-- understands the visa regime needs modernizing, but the 
current system is in place to "maintain order" and prevent 
those who look for "negative information" about Turkmenistan; 
and 
 
-- welcomes Senator Lugar's suggestion that conditions should 
be created for President Berdimuhamedov to visit Washington. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C)  In a nearly hour-long positive and businesslike 
meeting on January 12 with SFRC Minority Chairman Senator 
Richard Lugar and his staff, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign 
Minister Rashit Meredov described Turkmenistan's foreign 
policy in detail.  The goal is to build new and deepen old 
relations with a broad number of countries, with a special 
focus on major international organizations like the United 
Nations.  Meredov said Ashgabat "continuously nurtures" its 
relationships with neighboring states, because it is so 
important to maintain them.  He said Turkmenistan pays 
special attention to its relations with "powerful countries," 
and listed Russia, China, and the United States.  He 
commented President Berdimuhamedov's extensive foreign travel 
during his first year in office is evidence of Turkmenistan's 
new emphasis on its foreign relations. 
 
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP POSITIVE AND WILL DEVELOP FURTHER, BUT 
BE PATIENT 
 
¶3.  (C)  Meredov noted President Berdimuhamedov's visit to 
New York for the UNGA last September included "a very good 
set of bilateral meetings," and emphasized the constructive 
talks he held with Secretary Rice.  Meredov said his 
government wanted to emphasize to U.S. representatives that 
relevant ministries are now working to implement much of what 
was discussed in September.  On education, the government is 
examining all U.S. proposals with the intention of making 
some decisions soon and moving forward on them.  Further, 
Turkmenistan wants to develop a deeper relationship on 
security cooperation.  As a neutral country, Turkmenistan 
wants to expand its role in assisting in the battle against 
21st century threats, especially terrorism, narcotics, and 
transnational crime.  Alluding to the U.S. tendency to be 
impatient, he noted clearly that some proposals can be 
reviewed quickly, but others take time, since they require 
deeper consideration and more comprehensive vetting as 
 
ASHGABAT 00000065  002 OF 004 
 
 
Turkmenistan works to develop its new directions.  He 
expressed appreciation for everyone's patience as the process 
continues. 
 
DEEPENING INTEREST IN AFGHAN PROJECTS 
 
¶4.  (C)  Meredov said there was a great potential for 
U.S.-Turkmen cooperation on Afghanistan, because although it 
is a complex problem, it is a neighboring state.  He noted 
the work of the United States and other members of the 
international community to rebuild Afghanistan's society and 
infrastructure.  Turkmenistan also sees a role for itself in 
helping to rebuild Afghanistan, given the country's 
substantial ethnic Turkmen population.  Turkmenistan is 
already working cooperatively with the Afghan government on 
electricity issues, and forgave $4 million of Afghanistan's 
electricity-related debts during President Karzai's official 
visit to Ashgabat in 2007.  "That was nothing for us," he 
commented, "but was major for Afghanistan." 
 
¶5.  (C)  Meredov recounted Turkmenistan had discussed 
transportation infructure with Afghan officials in 2007.  As 
a result, Turkmenistan had repaired the old rail line between 
the Turkmen border town of Kushka and Herat in Afghanistan. 
He said his government also is interested in USAID's 
electricity proposals in which Turkmenistan could play a role 
in providing power to the grid that would parallel 
Afghanistan's ring road.  He suggested Afghan officials 
should renew their efforts to reach agreement with 
Turkmenistan on this project. 
 
TAP IS DRIVER FOR PIPELINE SECURITY CONVENTION PROPOSAL 
 
¶6.  (C)  Meredov raised the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP) 
project that the Turkmen government has been advocating.  He 
noted U.S. companies had been involved in earlier-year 
preliminary discussions.  While well aware that such a 
project was burdened with many pitfalls -- especially 
security in Afghanistan and the complexities of transporting 
hydrocarbons across Afghan, Pakistani, and Indian borders -- 
he judged it would be a good project for political, economic, 
and social reasons.  The issue of pipeline security is 
relevant for all the countries involved in the project, he 
said, and implied the United States should support President 
Berdimuhamedov's recent call for a new UN convention on 
pipeline security.  Neighboring states have already indicated 
their support for such a convention, he added.  "This is a 
pipeline-rich region.  Countries rich with oil and gas 
understand the need for pipeline security." 
 
DEVELOPMENTS WITH UZBEKISTAN AND AZERBAIJAN 
 
¶7.  (C)  Meredov noted Turkmenistan has steadily improved its 
relations with Uzbekistan.  President Karimov's official 
visit to Turkmenistan late in 2007 went very well.  A 
newly-established Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental 
Commission on economic and trade issues will meet in Ashgabat 
on January 31.  An economic exhibition sponsored by the 
commission will also take place then.  Likewise, the first 
meeting of the Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental 
Commission will be on January 17.  Meredov underscored that 
these meetings are to be robust and substantive sessions from 
which his government will expect concrete results for 
advancing bilateral issues, especially economic.  He noted 
the special emphasis the Turkmen government has put on its 
relationship with Azerbaijan.  In July, September, and 
November 2007, experts from both countries had met for 
substantive discussions on Caspian delimitation.  He expected 
another one of these technical-level meetings to take place 
very soon, and pointed to their regularity as an indication 
 
ASHGABAT 00000065  003 OF 004 
 
 
of the priority the government has placed on resolving the 
delimitation issue. 
 
VISA REGIME MAINTAINS ORDER AND PREVENTS NEGATIVE PUBLICITY 
 
¶8.  (C)  Senator Lugar commented the American people know 
little about Turkmenistan, but its reputation is expanding 
due to its broad efforts to end its long political isolation 
and to develop economically.  He emphasized he understands 
Turkmenistan will develop at its own pace, but hoped the 
government would eventually simplify its visa regime to make 
it easier for business people, students, and especially 
tourists to visit this distinctive country. 
 
¶9.  (C) Meredov replied, "We limit contacts not to be 
isolationist but to maintain order."  However, he added, 
Turkmenistan is examining its visa procedures to see if it's 
possible to bring them more in line with international 
standards, especially because the government supports 
"people-to-people relations."  He cited the U.S. sister 
cities exchange program as a positive example, and noted 
Turkmenistan already has many friends in the United States, 
like the California-based Baptist "Friends of Turkmenistan" 
group that "visits once or twice a year."  He quickly added 
that there were more examples he could cite.  He agreed that 
businessmen, students, and tourists with "good intentions" 
should be able to visit Turkmenistan.  "We simply ask that 
they come as friends and not have ulterior motives."  Meredov 
praised past visits to the United States by Turkmen 
government officials, students, and military representatives. 
 He added pointedly, "They didn't go to the United States to 
look for negative information to bring back here.  I 
emphasize this because it is an important issue for us." 
(COMMENT:  Meredov's initial response about "maintaining 
order" is probably the key issue, but it's clear the 
government is still smarting from the years of bad press 
during the Niyazov era."  END COMMENT.) 
 
BILATERAL RELATIONS SHOULD NOT BE A BUMPY RIDE 
 
¶10.  (C)  Senator Lugar noted our good bilateral relations, 
and mused it's disappointing sometimes relations between 
countries can be damaged by simply a minor controversy.  He 
said he hopes Turkmenistan trusts U.S. intentions.  Meredov 
agreed that sometimes things happen, but the principle of 
cooperation should override minor issues.  Senator Lugar 
repeated his suggestion (reftel) that Meredov and President 
Berdimuhamedov should visit Washington, and elsewhere in the 
United States.  He said, "The conditions can be creted for a 
broader visit than you had in September in New York." 
Meredov responded he had discussed this with the president 
and recalled Berdimuhamedov had told him, "We have to work on 
this."  Meredov said he appreciated the sincere invitation 
and that we'd work on this together.  Almost as an 
afterthought, Meredov added Turkmenistan has more reforms in 
the offing that will be revealed this year.  Senator Lugar 
responded  it has been heartening to watch Turkmenistan's 
progress. 
 
¶11. (C)  COMMENT:  Although long-winded, Meredov's 
comprehensive tour d'horizon of Turkmenistan's foreign 
relations was an instructive seminar on post-Niyazov foreign 
policy.  It would be useful for USAID Afghanistan and 
USAID/CEN to renew efforts to bring Turkmenistan and 
Afghanistan to agreement on electricity.  Meredov's comments 
about Turkmen visas revealed a good deal of old-think -- the 
authoritarian impulse to "maintain order" and to prevent 
negative publicity about the country.  Though Meredov 
responded less effusively than President Berdimuhamedov to 
Senator Lugar's suggestion that the president should visit 
 
ASHGABAT 00000065  004 OF 004 
 
 
Washington, he put himself on the record that he would work 
toward that goal.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶12.  (U) CODEL Lugar did not have an opportunity to clear 
this cable but authorized its transmission. 
HOAGLAND