VZCZCXRO6870
PP RUEHSL
DE RUEHAH #0767 1690609
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180609Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2994
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5330
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3058
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2923
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3574
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1025
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3633
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
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UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000767 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB 
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON 
COMMERCE FOR HUEPER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPL PGOV TPHY SCUL SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN RE-ESTABLISHES ITS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On June 12, President Berdimuhamedov signed 
a decree re-establishing the Academy of Sciences of 
Turkmenistan as the country's premier scientific institution. 
It marked the end of the Supreme Council for Science and 
Technology, a forward-looking USG partner in several 
education-related projects.  According to the official media, 
the action was taken in order to streamline Turkmenistan's 
scientific and technology policy, facilitate the increased 
application of new technologies to the economy, work out state 
programs for scientific and technical development, and 
efficiently implement those programs.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan (then 
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic) was first established in 
¶1951.  It was closed by former President Niyazov as part of 
his policy geared towards suppressing science and education. 
Replaced by the Supreme Council on Science and Technology, the 
new institution never received adequate financing under the 
Niyazov regime.  In 2007, President Berdimuhamedov allowed re- 
establishment of the Academy of Sciences as a public 
association, but without any provision for state funding.  In 
June 2008, he announced that the Academy of Sciences of 
Turkmenistan would be re-established as a state-financed body, 
but it was only one year later on June 12 that he signed the 
relevant decree. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan will be 
based at the building of the now abolished Supreme Council on 
Science and Technology and will inherit all the assets of that 
organization.  The Academy will also assume the functions of 
the Supreme Council and take over research institutes that 
used to be under the Supreme Council's umbrella plus six 
research institutes that are either newly established or were 
under various other governmental agencies.  Whereas the 
Supreme Council was subordinate to the President of 
Turkmenistan, the High Attestation Committee was also 
transferred to the Academy and made subordinate to the Cabinet 
of Ministers. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT:  At this point it is not clear whether the 
re-establishment of the Academy will really facilitate the 
development of science in Turkmenistan or is nothing more than 
just the new name of the previously existing organization. 
The situation will become clearer when the statute of the 
Academy is adopted and it will start functioning at the full 
swing.  At this point, the fact that the Academy will be run 
by a new team might indicate that there will be changes in the 
way the development of science is coordinated. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED:  Gurbnamurat Mezilov, the newly 
appointed acting President of the Academy of Sciences, is 
known to Post because of educational work at the Pedagogical 
Institute in Turkmenabat.  He is known for having delayed or 
interfered with English language fellow workshops at the 
Institute in Turkmenabat -- even programs that had been 
approved by the government, once requiring the intervention of 
Ministry of Education's Nury Bayramov, who himself is usually 
obstructionist, to allow the workshop to take place.  Former 
Deputy Chairwoman of the Supreme Council, Akjeren Allanurova, a 
strong support of USG programs, was reassigned as the provost 
for scientific work at Turkmen Polytechnical Institute.  END 
COMMENT 
 
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