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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0251/01 0510916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200916Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0306
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1225
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1092
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3407
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1661
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2244
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000251 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, SCA/PPD, ECA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SCUL KPAO TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  MINISTRY OF EDUCATION CRITICIZES FLEX 
PROGRAM 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Ministry of Education (MOE) alleged, via 
diplomatic note and in a meeting with PAO, that the Future Leaders 
Exchange (FLEX) Program for high school students was not being 
properly supervised by ACCELS.  MOE Minister Annaamanov claimed the 
fact that some children changed families or had to return to 
Turkmenistan was proof of problems with the program.  He suggested 
that the program be limited and that MOE vet the host families.  The 
content and tone had all the hallmarks of Head of MOE International 
Relations Nury Bayramov, long-time nemesis of U.S. and other Western 
educational programs, and the person who conducted the investigation 
into FLEX.  We know President Berdimuhamedov wants more U.S. 
educational exchanges, which may have once again energized the 
anti-Western Bayramov to try to prove a program like FLEX is flawed. 
 We will push back vigorously, but at the same time we recommend 
ACCELS be more forth-coming with information about its programs. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
DIPLOMATIC NOTE 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On the morning of February 14, the government of 
Turkmenistan sent a diplomatic note to the Embassy which criticized 
the FLEX program and its management under ACCELS.  [NOTE:  Although 
it is now the American Councils for International Education, the 
organization is still known in Turkmenistan by its former name, 
ACCELS.  END NOTE.]  Specifically it claimed that ACCELS (the 
administrator of the FLEX program) was negligent in selecting host 
families for the 65 Turkmen high school students sent to the U.S. 
this school year.  In particular, the Ministry of Education cited 
the two students who had to change host families, and two who 
returned early.  The Ministry complained that it had not been 
informed about the two early returnees.  The dipnote also suggested 
reducing the program to 50 students total for the 2008-2009 academic 
year. (NOTE:  Under former President Niyazov, MOE frequently tried 
to limit FLEX program to 50 students.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The diplomatic note arrived at the Embassy around the same 
time that post's PAO departed for an Embassy-requested meeting with 
the Minister of Education.  Minister Annaamanov, accompanied by 
Bayramov, opened the meeting with the criticism of FLEX and how 
ACCELS administers the program.  His complaints echoed the 
diplomatic note, but also carried additional concerns and a 
suggestion that MOE vet the host families.  [COMMENT:  This would be 
impossible.  END COMMENT.] 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Minister explained that after two students returned 
early, his Ministry (NOTE: specifically Nury Bayramov according to 
independent information.  END NOTE.) undertook an investigation of 
the living conditions of current FLEX students in the United States. 
 The Minister frequently referred to a typed report held in 
Bayramov's hands with key points highlighted. 
 
INCORRECT CLAIMS 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Minister Annaamanov made the following points: 
 
-- The Minister claimed (incorrectly) that Turkmen parents had no 
idea who their children were staying with in the United States, 
saying that many parents had contacted MOE asking for help in 
finding their students in the U.S.  (COMMENT:  This is surely a 
fabrication, because the opposite is true -- many FLEX parents 
reported recent contact by MOE asking for information on their 
children's U.S. host families.  END COMMENT.) 
 
-- Annaamanov had the false impression that there was no process for 
careful selection of host families, citing the case of an early 
returnee who cycled through four host families before she was sent 
home.  (NOTE: ACCELS made a good-faith effort to help that student 
adjust, but her behavioral problems eventually led to her early 
return.  END NOTE.) 
 
-- The Minister also said that ACCELS had refused to provide 
 
ASHGABAT 00000251  002 OF 003 
 
 
information on the host families.  However, this was the first such 
request from the Ministry. 
 
-- Annaamanov suggested that MOE should have a role in selecting 
host families. 
 
-- The Minister believed that a student who returned early for 
health reasons was a sign that there was no health screening for 
FLEX participants.  (NOTE: The selection process includes thorough 
health screening.  The returnee had concealed health information 
which would have disqualified his participation in FLEX, had it been 
discovered.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶7.  (SBU) PAO clarified much of the incorrect information presented 
in the meeting, but acknowledged that ACCELS should have provided 
information on the two early returnees, and should be reasonably 
responsive to the Ministry's requests.  PAO also noted possible 
privacy concerns about releasing certain information on American 
citizen families, but promised to examine the issue.  PAO also 
stressed that the information provided by the "investigation" gave 
the Minister a misleading impression, and encouraged the Minister to 
hear from FLEX alumni directly who would universally praise their 
year-long experience in the U.S. 
 
THE SILVER LINING 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In a significant contrast to past practice, this 
discussion did not derail the entire meeting.  Minister Annaamanov 
seemed to accept that there could be another side to the story and 
toned down his complaints.  His final words on FLEX stressed that he 
wanted to be sure that it was an effective program and to be sure 
that the students were properly cared for.  The remainder of the 
meeting was more productive and ended on a positive note. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT: The attack on the FLEX program is reminiscent of 
past practice and has Nury Bayramov's fingerprints all over it. 
Even the phrasing used by Minister Annaamanov was similar to that 
used by the previous Minister of Education who was also fed bad 
information by Bayramov.  Our suspicion is that given President 
Berdimuhamedov's emphasis on more exchanges, Bayramov and MOE may be 
under pressure to show why that is not happening.  This 
investigation into FLEX may have been an attempt to find negative 
information to justify limiting the program.  That said, sharing 
basic information about the host families as well as providing 
reasons why children change families and (especially) have to return 
home makes sense.  ACCELS providing correct information, before MOE 
is able to manufacture it, would be in the best long-term interest 
of the program.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) On February 15, Foreign Ministry Americas Director Serdar 
Bashimov (who has a son on the FLEX program in Ohio) recommended to 
the Charge - strictly off the record - that the Embassy push back 
hard against Bayramov.  He noted the diplomatic note had only 
"suggested" the number of participants be cut from 63 to 50. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) CHARGE'S COMMENT:  Contrary to a rumor we reported 
previously, we are told Bayramov is not/not a personal friend of the 
President.  While he must have protection from somewhere, he's 
simply one of those arrogant bureaucrats that exists in any system 
who pushes his own agenda, which in his case is old-guard 
anti-Western.  As long as he is in place, we will have to work with 
him, as distasteful as he is.  I recommend ACCELS be as forthcoming 
as legally possible.  For example, it seems basic that the name of 
the high school and names/professions of the host families should be 
given to the Ministry of Education at the beginning of each school 
year.  When there are problems that necessitate the early return of 
a student, a report should be presented to the Ministry.  Further, 
ACCELS should remind the MOE, through MFA Protocol, of regularly 
scheduled program events in Turkmenistan.  On February 16, Bayramov 
disrupted TOEFL testing in Ashgabat, claiming the MOE had not been 
notified in advance.  In fact, ACCELS had given the full year's 
schedule in October 2007.  But given local conditions, that's 
probably not good enough.  For public events like testing or 
 
ASHGABAT 00000251  003 OF 003 
 
 
interviewing, the ACCELS country director, along with the Embassy's 
Public Affairs section, should remind the MOE via MFA Protocol two 
weeks in advance.  END CHARGE'S COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND