VZCZCXRO7888
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0354/01 0781142
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181142Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0453
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3518
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1336
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1203
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1772
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0758
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 2327

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000354 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, OES FOR PATRICK HUDAK AND AARON SALZBERG 
TASHKENT ALSO FOR ESTH REGIONAL OFFICER STEVE PROHASKA 
USAID/W FOR EE/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PBTS EWWT SENV TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  NEIGHBORS APPEAR TO COOPERATE AT 
OSCE MARITIME COOPERATION CONFERENCE 
 
REF: 07 ASHGABAT 0968 
 
¶1.  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (U) SUMMARY:  At an OSCE conference on maritime security 
and environmental cooperation, participants attended 
presentations on ecological, transit, and 
trafficking/smuggling issues.  The EU said that its "Special 
Strategy for Central Asia" is a sign of Central Asia's 
importance and is donating 766.5 million euros for 
environmental projects in the region.  Turkmen officials 
stated that the Caspian littoral states are working as a 
group to reach agreements on the Caspian, and suggested that 
a gas pipeline underneath the Caspian could be built 
regardless of its location in a zone of seismic activity.  It 
appears that Turkmenistan is serious about working 
inter-regionally, and about dealing with environmental 
issues.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (U) During a March 6-7 OSCE Economic Dimension conference 
in Ashgabat, participants from all OSCE participating states 
focused on issues concerning economic and environmental 
aspects related to maritime and inland waterways, and 
problems faced by landlocked countries.  Participants 
attended presentations on: 
 
-- regional management of marine ecological resources and 
combating maritime and land-based pollution and the 
introduction of alien species by ballast waters; 
-- the impact on environment of economic activities such as 
transport and oil and gas extraction (including responses to 
oil spills); 
-- transporting dangerous goods; 
-- gaps in river basin management; 
-- bottlenecks at customs checkpoints and border crossings; 
and 
-- combating trafficking and smuggling. 
 
EUROPEAN UNION PRIORITIES IN REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 
 
¶4.  (U) European Union (EU) Special Representative for 
Central Asia Ambassador Pierre Morel, one of the speakers, 
said that "the 'EU Special Strategy for Central Asia' is a 
signal from the EU of the importance of Central Asia."  Morel 
highlighted fair access to water resources as a worldwide 
challenge.  Specific EU priorities in Central Asia include: 
 
-- Implementation of the Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central 
Asia component of the EU Water Initiative for safe water 
supply and sanitation and integrated water resources 
management; 
-- Management of the transboundary river basin and regional 
cooperation under the Caspian Sea Environmental Convention; 
-- Integrated management of surface and underground 
transboundary water resources, and introduction of more 
efficient water use techniques such as irrigation; 
-- Enhanced cooperation for financing water related 
infrastructure projects through international financial 
institutions and public-private partnerships; 
-- Regional integrated water management and hydropower 
production capacity building; 
-- Introduction and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol 
mechanisms; 
-- Combating desertification and safeguarding bio-diversity, 
including implementation of the UN Conventions on Biological 
Biodiversity and Combating Desertification; 
-- Improvement of sustainable management of forests and other 
natural resources, under the Forest Law Enforcement and 
Governance Ministerial process; and 
-- Increased environmental awareness and development of 
environmental civil society through cooperation with the 
 
ASHGABAT 00000354  002 OF 003 
 
 
Central Asia Regional Environment Center. 
 
¶5.  (U) To promote these priorities, the EU is providing 750 
million euros (during 2007-2013) to deal with Central Asian 
environmental concerns.  Morel announced the European 
Commission is also providing 15 million euros for Central 
Asia projects related to the EU Water Initiative, and added 
that the European Parliament allocated a supplement of 1.5 
million euros for water management and environment projects 
in Central Asia. 
 
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MEREDOV SPEAKS 
 
¶6.  (U) Turkmenistan's Deputy Chairman of Foreign Affairs 
Rashit Meredov said his government must consider maritime 
issues when speaking about the new North-South Rail Line, 
because it travels along the Caspian Sea.  Another of 
President Berdimuhamedov's major initiatives is to utilize 
Caspian Sea routes more effectively, and therefore 
improvement of the Turkmenbashy City seaport and the tanker 
fleet is also a priority.  Meredov named the Framework 
Convention for Maritime Protection (ratified by all five 
Central Asian countries), the Nuclear Free Zone Convention, 
and the Central Asian Commission on Sustainable Development 
(which was signed in Ashgabat) as important regional 
environmental agreements. 
 
QUESTION FROM AUDIENCE ON SEISMIC ACTIVITY AND PIPELINES 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Responding to a question about the wisdom of 
building a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea -- in an area 
of seismic activity -- Turkmenistan's Deputy Foreign Minister 
for Caspian Sea Issues, Khoshgeldi Babayev, said that there 
is a precedence of other pipelines built in areas of seismic 
activity.  Acknowledging that the littoral states are 
discussing this amongst themselves because the ecological 
issues associated with this pipeline are a concern, Babayev 
added that Turkmenistan would take international experience 
and standards -- as well as independent expertise -- into 
account when planning any pipeline along the Caspian. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Stating that coordination is most important in the 
Caspian because it is a closed waterway, Babayev maintained 
that the Caspian littoral states actively cooperate in all 
Caspian Sea issues.  He cited the October 2007 presidential 
summit in Tehran as one example.  According to Babayev, the 
presidents agreed at this meeting to hold an annual economic 
forum.  He added that northern states may have made more 
progress than southern states in environmental protection, 
but "we should learn from each other." 
 
INTERESTING COMMENTS FROM THE MINISTER OF NATURE PROTECTION 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Turkmenistan's Minister of Nature Protection, 
Magtymguly Akmuradov, said that the environmental health of 
the Caspian Sea is vital because of its exclusive 
biodiversity reserves, including the well-known example of 
sturgeon.  Responsibility for the Caspian's well-being lies 
with all of the littoral states.  The Government of 
Turkmenistan is devotin $1 billion to make ecological 
improvements on a Turkmenbashy gas processing facility. 
After digressing to plug Turkmenistan's new Avaza tourism 
development zone (reftel) as "an event of international 
importance," he was brought back to the topic at hand by a 
question about an inventory of alien species in the Caspian 
Sea.  Akmuradov responded that it is a good idea and agreed 
that Turkmenistan should develop such an inventory, since no 
such study exists. 
 
SEALS:  POINT OF CONTENTION FOR KAZAKHSTAN AND TURKMENISTAN 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00000354  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Head of Administration of International 
Cooperation of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Environmental 
Protection Galiya Karibzhanova noted that seals were dying in 
the Caspian Sea from illnesses that Kazakh scientists have 
identified.  Not denying Karibzhanova's allegations, 
Akmuradov said that his employees are working closely with 
counterparts in Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Azerbaijan. 
While no one could fully explain the death of these seals, 
these deaths are 90% attributable to climate change.  He 
alleged that cold water is a kind of antiseptic for baby 
seals, which allows the seals to develop their immunity to 
disease, and warming Caspian waters are preventing baby 
seals' immune systems from developing. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Long isolated from international fora 
under former President Niyazov, Turkmenistan enjoys hosting 
these international events because of the prestige and 
exposure it gains.  But such events are also positive because 
they allow Turkmenistan's officials -- long isolated as a 
result of former President Niyazov's policies -- a chance to 
hear first-hand the international community's concerns about 
these issues not just in the Caspian, but also in the larger 
world -- and about the ways others are going about resolving 
these issues.  The public disagreement with the Government of 
Kazakhstan representative is also a fascinating look into 
inter-regional disagreement playing out in a public 
give-and-take.  We are pleased that Turkmenistan seems to be 
serious about increasing its participation in such fora -- 
and hope that this participation will eventually lead to an 
increased attention being paid to environmental issues.  END 
COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND