VZCZCXRO7318
PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHDIR RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1559 3381206
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031206Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1946
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4559
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0476
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0080
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2807

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001559 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV PREL IR TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN TRADE SHOW IN ASHGABAT 
 
¶1. (U) Several dozen Iranian companies exhibited their 
products at a large trade show in Ashgabat from November 
28-30.  The wide range of goods on display included Iran 
Khodro/Peugeot automobiles, farm equipment, foodstuffs, 
applicances, cosmetics, and construction materials. The 
booths covered almost the entire 1200-sq. meters of floor 
space at Ashgabat's Exhibition Hall. 
 
¶2. (U) Many of the businesses at the exhibition were based in 
the northern city of Mashhad. One purveyor of luxury marble 
and granite flooring from Hamadan, undoubtedly hoping to 
benefit from Ashgabat's surge in high-rise residential 
apartment construction, proudly showed emboff his stock of 
pink marble, onyx and other materials. 
 
¶3. (U) We noted that most of the representatives for the 
higher value items were Iranians, whereas the job of manning 
the booths for cosmetics, food products and small appliances 
had been delegated to local Turkmen employees, many of whom 
appeared to be university students. (Note: We tasted one 
variety of chocolate truffles produced in Iran and concluded 
that Swiss, Belgium or even Russian chocolatiers face no 
immediate danger of being edged out. End Note.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) Comment: Iran and Turkmenistan are expected to do 
about 2 billion dollars in trade this year, much of which is 
accounted for by Turkmen sales of natural gas to Iran.  While 
the exhibition was crowded, most of the visitors did not 
appear to be local Turkmen businessmen, but rather curious 
Ashgabat residents, especially students, who seemed to enjoy 
trying out the cars and and collecting free items handed out 
at the various booths. End comment. 
MILES