VZCZCXRO2126
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0100/01 0220532
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 220532Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2176
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4722
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2520
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2385
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 2970
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000100 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB 
ANKARA FOR AGRICULTURE COUNSELOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAGR ECON PREL TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN: BURNISHING BERDIMUHAMEDOV'S REGIONAL 
COOPERATION CREDENTIALS WITH THE WATER ISSUE 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  A December 2008 article written by the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs attributed the positive outcome of the October 
2008 Bishkek Summit to President Berdimuhamedov's initiative and 
resourcefulness and portrayed Turkmenistan as a regional leader in 
Central Asia water cooperation.  The article also claimed that 
Berdimuhamedov was responsible for the attendance of the head of the 
UN Center for Preventive Diplomacy at the meeting in Bishkek.  The 
five Central Asian states agreed on water sharing and sales of 
electricity, natural gas, and coal, although implementation was 
contingent upon bilateral agreements yet to be signed.  The concept 
of swapping water for energy is not new -- during the Soviet era, 
Moscow also used this mechanism for water management in Central 
Asia.  The MFA piece appears to be geared towards enhancing 
Berdimuhamedov's image as an emerging leader on regional 
negotiations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
BERDIMUHAMEDOV'S FOREIGN POLICY INITITIVES HIGHLIGHTED 
 
¶3.  (U) In December 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published 
an article in "Democracy and Law" journal entitled "Foreign Policy 
Initiatives of the President of Turkmenistan: Urgency, Explicitness 
and Focus for the Welfare of the People."  The article praised 
President Berdimuhamedov's foreign policy activities, specifically 
with regard to regional cooperation, noting a "series of effective 
regional water management foreign policy initiatives" that 
Berdimuhamedov proposed during the meeting of heads of Central Asian 
states held on October 10, 2008 in Bishkek. 
 
TURKMENISTAN: REGIONAL LEADER IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION? 
 
¶4.  (U) According to the article, the President placed a high 
priority on the concept that "all issues related to rational use of 
Central Asia's water resources should be resolved on the basis of 
mutual respect and universally acknowledged norms and principles of 
international law."  Regional water disputes should be resolved by 
referring to UN conventions regulating the use of water resources of 
transboundary watercourses and international lakes.  The MFA claimed 
that this approach was responsible for Turkmenistan's positive 
results in resolving transboundary water disputes with neighboring 
states on the basis of bilateral agreements.  Berdimuhamedov's 
proposal made at the Bishkek Summit called for the development of a 
balanced solution for regional water issues by sharing water and 
energy resources in the region.  The article concluded by stating 
that Berdimuhamedov's "comprehensive approach and prioritization of 
international law norms, respect for universally acknowledged 
principles and good neighborly relations, and peaceful and mutually 
acceptable solutions to current problems" contributed to the 
positive outcome of the Bishkek meeting. 
 
ROLE OF UN CENTER FOR PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY 
 
¶5.  (U) The article stated that the head of the Ashgabat-based UN 
Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, 
Ambassador Miroslav Jenca, attended the meeting at President 
Berdimuhamedov's invitation.  Berdimuhamedov called upon his 
colleagues in the region to use the resources provided by the UN 
Center -- which opened in Ashgabat in 2007 -- for discussions about 
and research on approaches to address regional water and energy 
issues. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT:  The agreement worked out in Bishkek has already 
hit some snags.  Turkmen electricity has been unable to reach 
Tajikistan due to the lack of a transit agreement with the Uzbeks. 
More generally, the concept of a regional swap of water for energy 
is not new -- during the Soviet era, Moscow also used this mechanism 
for water management in Central Asia, but the practice stopped with 
the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of five independent 
 
ASHGABAT 00000100  002 OF 002 
 
 
Central Asian states.  Since that time, Central Asian states have 
struggled to come up with a viable regional approach to replace the 
Soviet system of water management.  Various countries have suggested 
that the UN Center for Preventive Diplomacy consider pursuing 
regional water issues as a thorny, but unavoidable topic on which 
the Center could focus its efforts. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED:  In the meantime, it appears that the 
MFA is doing its part to burnish Berdimuhamedov's image as an 
emerging leader on regional issues, albeit for a largely domestic 
audience.  However, it appears that the article is stretching the 
truth.  According to our source, all of the leaders were cooperative 
during the Bishkek meeting and all of them were amenable to 
Ambassador Jenca's participation.  The agreement was worked out 
among the five, without any leader serving as main catalyst for a 
resolution.  END COMMENT. 
 
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