VZCZCXRO2156
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0290/01 0610756
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010756Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0357
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3448
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1266
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1133
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1702
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2277

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000290 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB 
USAID/W FOR EE/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EIND ELAB SCUL SOCI TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  EVIDENCE OF DISCONTENT IN 
TURKMENBASHY 
 
REF: A. 07 ASHGABAT 968 
 
     ¶B. ASHGABAT 0239 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  During an EmbOff's trip to Turkmenbashy 
February 17-19, an ethnic Dagestani Turkmen citizen driver 
effusively disclosed -- with little prodding -- his thoughts 
on the gas price hike, Avaza, and Turkmenistan's economy. 
Other observations made around town showed that there is a 
lot to complain about, and that others are feeling the pain, 
too.  Vendors at the food market withheld "decent" meat from 
sale -- in effect, striking in response to the mayor's 
office's refusal to let them set their own prices.  Museum 
workers guard the few exhibits that remain because they won't 
be replaced by the Government of Turkmenistan.  The average 
Turkmen citizen is thinking, and isn't afraid to share it. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
AVAZA:  "DOESN'T DO ANYTHING FOR THE PEOPLE" 
 
¶3.  (SBU) A driver (and Afghanistan War veteran) of Dagestani 
ethnicity who has lived in Turkmenbashy since the end of the 
war made a slew of scathing comments and observations about 
the state of affairs for the common Turkmeistan citizen 
during EconOff's February 17-19 personal visit to the area. 
In his opinion, the Avaza Tourism Zone (Ref A) project is a 
huge waste of money, first of all because the government 
still has not recouped the money invested in the Serdar Hotel 
project.  He asked hypothetically, "Who will come here?," 
adding that Turkey and Thailand have culture and 
entertainment to offer tourists beyond a sea -- currently the 
only thing that Turkmenbashy offers visitors.  He pointed out 
five hotels under construction within eyeshot of the Serdar 
Hotel, including a prominent construction site plainly marked 
Bouygues, the French company that handles Turkmenistan's most 
elite construction projects.  The much-vaunted canal project 
for Avaza is also under construction by Turkish firm 
Polimeks.  Upon seeing the large, full-color mock-ups of how 
the area will look after construction is completed -- 
including lush green lawns and other landscaping -- the 
driver sarcastically said, "The Turks made a pretty picture." 
 Between the Serdar Hotel and the canal project, workers were 
in the process of tearing down dachas.  The driver noted that 
the government is not compensating these dacha owners. 
Summing it up, he said the Avaza project doesn't do anything 
for the people. 
 
GAS PRICE HIKE:  "LIFE IS GETTING WORSE, NOT BETTER" 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The driver dispelled the notion spread on 
opposition websites that protesters torched gas stations in 
response to the gas price hike (Ref B), at least in 
Turkmenbashy.  However, he still felt very strongly about the 
gas price hike, stating that the government should have 
raised the price of gas gradually instead of 800 percent 
overnight as it did.  In his emotional words, "life is 
getting worse, not better." 
 
FOOD MARKET VENDORS STRIKE AGAINST THE MAYOR'S OFFICE 
 
¶5.  (SBU) A routine visit to the food market showed some 
startling undercurrents of discontent.  Food sellers 
responded to the mayor's refusal to let them set their own 
prices by making only offal -- no "decent" meat, in the 
driver's words -- available in the entire market.  Fresh fish 
was also not for sale in this sea-side town.  While walking 
through the part of the market where implements are sold, the 
driver complained that there is "no industry in 
Turkmenistan," just cheaply made imports from other countries 
for purchase.  He mentioned that the difficulty of finding a 
permanent job if one doesn't speak Turkmen creates a 
miserable situation. 
 
ASHGABAT 00000290  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
LITTLE REMAINS OF TURKMENBASHY'S CULTURAL LIFE 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The driver begrudgingly accompanied EconOff to 
Turkmenbashy's two sad museums containing Soviet-era 
exhibits, the Regional History Museum and the Nature Museum. 
After arranging the day before to visit the Nature Museum, 
upon arriving at 5 p.m. -- the museum was to close at 6 p.m. 
-- museum workers told EconOff and the driver that the museum 
was waiting for them all day.  However, the museum workers 
were in a good mood, thrilled to have received their monthly 
pay of two million manat -- about $101.  Pointing out the 
grey pallor of a stuffed bird's white feathers, the guide 
explained that the team takes as good of care as is possible 
of the Soviet-era exhibits because they know that the 
Government of Turkmenistan will not replace them -- what they 
have is what they've got, for the long haul. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) COMMENT:  While Turkmenistan, on the surface, 
appears to be a land of people accustomed to docility, it's 
apparent that average Joes, from drivers to market sellers to 
museum workers -- are carefully thinking about the state of 
affairs, and no one is really happy about it.  No one 
believes that Avaza has the potential to reach even some of 
the success the government claims it will.  Entrepreneurs are 
clamoring for a market economy.  The cultural intelligentsia 
struggle to preserve the few resources that they have.  The 
average Turkmen citizen is thinking, and isn't afraid to 
share it.  END COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND