VZCZCXRO7931
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1189 2601127
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171127Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3488
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 5689
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3404
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3268
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3932
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1156
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3915
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001189 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB; NEA/IR 
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/BURPOE/COHEN 
COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EPET PGOV EINV UP TX
SUBJECT: TURKMEN, UKRAINIAN LEADERS FAIL TO REACH GAS DEAL 
 
REF: ASHGABAT 1135 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko visited 
Turkmenistan September 14-16, participating in negotiations 
with Turkmen President Berdimuhamedov on September 15.  As 
expected, the two Presidents did not reach agreement on 
resuming direct supplies of Turkmen gas to Ukraine, despite 
discussions that reportedly lasted two and a half hours. 
Moreover, the Turkmen media did not even report whether the 
gas supply issue was raised during negotiations.  In a joint 
statement published in local newspapers, the two Presidents 
merely pointed out the importance of cooperation in the energy 
sector and various other industries. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) During Yushchenko's visit, he and his delegation did 
manage to conclude the following non-energy agreements with 
the Turkmen: Cooperation Agreement between the Turkmen 
Institute of Transport and Communications and Ukraine's 
National Transportation University; Agreement on Establishing 
a Business Council between Turkmen and Ukrainian Chambers of 
Commerce and Industry; Agreement on Cooperation in the Area of 
Research and Protection of Species of Plants between the 
Turkmen Ministry of Agriculture and the Ukrainian Ministry of 
Agricultural Policy; and a Protocol on Cooperation between the 
Turkmen and Ukrainian MFAs. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On September 16, Berdimuhamedov and Yushchenko 
participated in the much-anticipated inauguration of a railway 
bridge over the Amu Darya River built by the Ukrainian state 
company Ukratransstroy (reftel).  The bridge took eight years 
to complete and has been a source of bilateral tension between 
the two countries for some time.  The two presidents also 
participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a highway bridge 
to be built by another Ukrainian company, Altkom. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Although the Ukrainian head of state had 
announced a direct gas deal with Turkmenistan as the main 
purpose of his trip, the Turkmen did not budge. 
Turkmenistan's ongoing gas deal negotiations with Russia, and 
Ukraine's unfortunate track record when it comes to 
construction jobs in Turkmenistan, certainly affected the 
Turkmen decision to leave a direct gas deal with Ukraine on 
the table.  It's important to note that when Russian President 
Medvedov left Turkmenistan last week, President Berdimuhamedov 
gave him a prized Ahal-Teke horse.  Ukrainian President 
Yushchenko, however, went back to Kyiv virtually empty-handed. 
END COMMENT. 
 
CURRAN