VZCZCXRO2604
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0334/01 0721201
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121201Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0426
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3499
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1317
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1184
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 1753
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2313
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0755
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000334 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ETRD TX UZ
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  BERDIMUHAMEDOV BONDS WITH KARIMOV 
DURING OFFICIAL VISIT TO TASHKENT 
 
REF: 07 ASHGABAT 1159 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  According to official press reports, 
President Berdimuhamedov's official visit to Uzbekistan was a 
foreign policy success, during which he established a 
positive working relationship with President Karimov.  The 
two sides agreed on the need to intensify bilateral trade and 
the general economic relationship.  During the visit, the 
presidents signed agreements designed to help the two 
countries communicate better and improve their trade figures, 
but there was little indication that they had made progress 
on other issues, like simplified visa regimes or cooperative 
water management.   END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (U)  President Berdimuhamedov arrived in Tashkent March 
10 for a two-day official visit.  Although there was the 
usual pomp, circumstance, and wreath-laying which accompany 
official presidential visits, there was an air of purpose as 
well.  The meetings that occurred during the visit appear to 
have been more substantive than those which took place when 
President Karimov visited Ashgabat in October 2007 (reftel). 
The two presidents signed a series of agreements designed to 
enhance the bilateral relationship, particularly in the 
economic sphere: 
 
-- Several intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in the 
agriculture sector, including Turkmenistan's purchase of 
Uzbek-manufactured agriculture equipment and industrial 
products needed for agriculture, and a possible exchange of 
agricultural specialists; 
 
-- An agreement on the repair and restoration of facilities 
located in joint border areas; 
 
-- A protocol agreement between the foreign ministries that 
is to facilitate inter-governmental communications; and 
 
-- A protocol to advance a bilateral economic cooperation 
agreement that the two presidents signed during Karimov's 
October 2007 trip to Turkmenistan. 
 
¶4.  (U)  The Turkmen media reported substantive discussions 
focused on increasing cooperation in energy, trade and 
economy, agriculture, transportation and communications 
infrastructure development, as well as water management.  In 
their statements, however, neither president commented on the 
Caspian littoral pipeline project, which Karimov publicly 
promoted during his visit to Ashgabat or on the proposed 
refurbishment of the Central Asia-Center (CAC) pipelines. 
There also was no public mention of Turkmenistan's planned 
gas pipeline project to China or electricity sales to 
Tajikistan, both of which require transit cooperation from 
Uzbekistan. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  A positive, collegial relationship appears to be 
slowly taking shape between the two presidents, ans there are 
other signs that the entire bilateral relationship is 
warming.  The two presidents attended a ceremony to lay a 
cornerstone for a new Turkmenistan embassy building in 
Tashkent, and President Karimov bestowed an honorary 
doctorate in medicine on President Berdimuhamedov. 
Berdimuhamedov later traveled to Samarkand to tour the 
SamAuto motor works there.  The Uzbeks held an economic 
exhibition in Ashgabat for the first time in February 2008, 
which the two countries have decided to make into an annual 
event.  Possibly as a by-product of the exhibit, Uzbekistani 
officials have proposed a joint venture company to sell and 
service cars produced in the UzDaewooAuto and SamAuto plants 
in Turkmenistan.  Members of the Turkmen delegation 
reportedly met with representatives of Uzbekistan's ethnic 
Turkmen population.  (NOTE:  It is possible that the 
 
ASHGABAT 00000334  002 OF 002 
 
 
officials wanted to check on the status of these minorities, 
but they may have also sought to assess their interest in 
Turkmen repatriation or citizenship.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  While Karimov is the Turkmen president's 
peer, he is also chronologically older and more senior, 
Berdimuhamedov appears to be adhering to the Turkmen custom 
of reverence and respect for elders in the deferential way 
that he treats him. (NOTE:  Berdimuhamedov conferred the 
honorary title of "respected elder" on Karimov during his 
Ashgabat visit.  END NOTE.)  The two presidents appear eager 
to advance a mutually beneficial bilateral economic 
relationship.  It seems curious to us that no mention was 
made of strategic energy issues at all, but there may have 
been some preliminary agreement to focus exclusively on 
bilateral issues during this visit.  END COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND