VZCZCXRO1790
PP RUEHAG RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHAH #1598/01 3441043
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091043Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1979
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4580
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2384
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2249
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2828
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3134

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001598 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB 
PLEASE PASS TO USTDA DAN STEIN 
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON 
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EPET TU AZ TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: READOUT ON TRILATERAL SUMMIT FROM 
TURKISH EMBASSY 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Richard M. Miles.  Reasons 1.4 (B 
) and (D). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  According to the Turkish DCM, the November 
29 trilateral summit between the Turkmen, Turkish and Azeri 
presidents covered a range of issues, with no particular 
breakthroughs.  On energy, the Turkish president urged the 
Turkmen to develop a gas export route to the West, a 
suggestion that the Turkmen president reportedly "welcomed." 
Other areas for cooperation were also discussed.  The 
presidents agreed to meet regularly in a trilateral format, 
with the next meeting to take place in Turkey, probably in 
the spring.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) On December 8, Turkish Embassy DCM Hakan Cengiz 
provided poloff with a readout from the November 29 
trilateral summit between Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly 
Berdimuhamedov, Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Azerbaijan 
President Ilham Aliyev.  Details about the summit had just 
been reported to the Turkish Embassy by the Turkish MFA in 
Ankara.  The day's meetings began in a bilateral format 
between the Turkmen and Turkish leaders.  The presidents met 
alone with only an interpreter present for 45 minutes.  The 
Turkmen and Turkish presidents were then joined by Aliyev for 
a two-hour trilateral meeting, again only the principals and 
the same, lone interpreter.  Lunch followed at the 
presidential residence Hazar Kosgi ("Caspian Palace") 
attended only by the presidents without interpreter. 
 
TURKISH PRESIDENT URGED A WESTERN OUTLET FOR TURKMEN GAS 
 
¶3. (C) Concerning the energy sector, the discussion in both 
the bilateral and trilateral meetings focused on ways to 
foster cooperation between the three countries, with Gul 
urging Berdimuhamedov to diversify gas export routes to 
include Europe.  According to Cengiz, Berdimuhamedov 
"welcomed" Gul's suggestion.  Gul clearly indicated that an 
alternative pipeline route is essential for Turkmenistan and 
that the Turkmen should seriously explore the possibility. 
 
AIMING TO EXPAND COOPERATION IN A RANGE OF AREAS 
 
¶4. (C) Talks did not focus exclusively on energy issues.  The 
presidents also discussed how to develop trilateral relations 
in the economic, education, social and cultural spheres. 
They welcomed the outcome of Aliyev's official visit to 
Ashgabat, which took place on the previous day, particularly 
the bilateral agreements on a railroad ferry across the 
Caspian and on the normalization of rail and maritime 
regulations.  There was also discussion about the Turkic 
language speaking countries' presidential summit conferences 
which have been held regularly, although not annually, since 
¶1992.  The next such summit will be held in Baku sometime in 
¶2009.  Turkmenistan has not participated at these Turkic 
summit conferences for several years.  Gul and Aliyev invited 
Berdimuhamedov to attend the event in Baku and he accepted. 
Gul and Aliyev also invited Turkmenistan to join the 
Turkic-speaking countries Parliamentary Assembly, an 
institution created through the Turkic summit process. 
Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan would "seriously consider 
joining." 
 
TURKMEN-TURKISH COMMISSION TO MEET IN ASHGABAT 
 
¶5. (C) Also discussed during the tete-a-tete between 
Berdimuhamedov and Gul was the Turkmenistan-Turkey 
Intergovernmental Commission, the first meeting of which was 
held in Ankara in April 2008.  This mechanism, developed by 
the Turkmen side, covers every aspect of their bilateral 
relationship.  The second meeting of the commission will take 
place in March or April 2009 in Ashgabat.  The co-chairman 
 
ASHGABAT 00001598  002 OF 002 
 
 
are Turkmen Deputy Chairman for Textiles and Trade 
Hojamuhammet Muhammedov and Turkish Minister of Industry and 
Trade Zefir Caglayan. 
 
TRILATERAL SUMMITS WILL CONTINUE 
 
¶6. (C) Cengiz said that all meetings were held in a cordial 
and warm atmosphere.  After lunch at a presidential residence 
Hazar Kosgi ("Caspian Palace"), the three presidents went for 
a walk in the garden.  Berdimuhamedov then insisted that they 
take a tour of the grounds in a golf cart, which Gul drove. 
According to Cengiz, the three presidents have decided to 
hold such trilateral meetings regularly.  The next such 
meeting will be in Anatolia, then in Baku.  No timing was 
set, but Cengiz suggested the next meeting would probably 
take place in the spring. 
 
¶7. (C) COMMENT:  Given their cultural and linguistic 
affinities, the three leaders, and countries, have a common 
platform on which to expand their relations in other spheres. 
 The ease with which the leaders met and communicated and 
their willingness to continue such gatherings in the future 
suggests that, with time, the meetings could contribute to 
resolving some of their seemingly intractable issues.  On the 
question of a Trans-Caspian pipeline, however, it doesn't 
appear that Gul was able to elicit any more of a commitment 
than we've heard in past, when Turkmen leaders have expressed 
interest but done little else.  Neither does it appear that 
Gul was able to effect a significant rapprochement between 
the Turkmen and Azeri leaders on Caspian delimitation, 
although the fact that they are at least talking is a step in 
the right direction.  END COMMENT. 
MILES