VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAH #1258/01 2750951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020951Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3562
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5742
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3455
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3319
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3985
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1182
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3963
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001258 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SOCI TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  PUBLIC LOSING PATIENCE WITH FREQUENT ROAD 
CLOSURES 
 
¶1. (U) Sensitive but Unclassified.  Not for Internet distribution 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Road closures in Ashgabat to provide security for 
the president and his VIP foreign guests have become a frequent 
practice.  While VIP visitors no doubt appreciate the gesture, 
locals are becoming increasingly irritated by road closures that 
cause traffic jams, car accidents, stress and late arrival to 
destinations.  Neither police nor city officials provide advance 
notice to the public about closures or detours.  The increasing 
number of vehicles on Ashgabat's underdeveloped road network worsens 
the problem, as well as does reconstruction of roads in the vicinity 
of the expanding presidential palace.  The issue will continue to 
generate dissatisfaction among the public until authorities take 
action to address the problem.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ROAD CLOSED ... OFTEN 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Traffic police frequently close roads in Ashgabat not only 
for construction or repair work, but to ensure the security of the 
president and his VIP guests while traveling in the city.  While in 
recent years, an increasing number of cars has made traffic a 
headache, closure of roads for movement of VIPs turns the available 
streets into traffic chaos.  At such moments, the few remaining 
traffic arteries become totally jammed, with drivers forced to sit 
in traffic and drive far out of their way to reach their 
destinations. 
 
SAFETY OF PRESIDENTIAL MOVEMENT 
 
¶4. (SBU) At the beginning of his presidency, Berdimuhamedov, highly 
concerned about his security, ordered the routes of his movement 
"sanitized" of people and vehicles.  According to an Ashgabat 
resident who lives in a high-rise apartment building along one of 
the president's frequent routes, "When the president's cortege is to 
drive by our street, Ministry of National Security officers give 
residents of our building short notice not to open windows until 
well after the cortege has passed."  The sealing off of roads also 
happens when the president uses the airport and during the 
inauguration of construction projects, at which the president is 
always the guest of honor.  According to an Ashgabat resident, "When 
the new textile factory near the airport was inaugurated, I almost 
missed my flight to Moscow because the traffic police closed all the 
roads in that area," due to the president attending the ceremony. 
 
WELCOME TO ASHGABAT 
 
¶5. (SBU) Road closures happen more often nowadays because Ashgabat 
hosts more high level delegations.  For instance, over the past 
three weeks, four presidents visited the country.  Turkmen 
authorities, trying to pamper foreign guests by providing traffic 
free roads, irritate their own public.  The first problem of this 
kind in Ashgabat occurred when Afghan President Karzai visited the 
country.  The high security measures taken for this official created 
a mess in the city.  The most recent traffic chaos was caused when 
roads were closed during Ukrainian President Yushchenko's visit. 
During one such road closure, when a taxi driver was asked the 
reason for the traffic jam, he said "I guess Yashuly ("the Elder" 
meaning the president) is going somewhere or a foreign guest is in 
town." 
 
AUTHORITIES' INACTION 
 
¶6. (SBU) Neither police nor city officials inform the public in 
advance about the supposed movement of VIP motorcades.  Even 
pedestrians become victims of road closures because they are not 
allowed to move along the closed streets.  As a result, many 
Ashgabat residents are late to work, and massive traffic jams occur 
on the available streets, sometimes causing car accidents.  One 
recent example was the September 1 inauguration of the Institute of 
Transport and Communications that was attended by the country's 
leadership.  It resulted in massive traffic jams and delays to 
offices and schools, as well as stress, anger and grumpiness among 
 
many people.  Since the Institute is located near the Embassy, most 
Embassy employees arrived to work at least 30 minutes late, leaving 
their cars parked far from the Embassy and picking them up later 
when the roads opened.  One FSN said "If I knew I would be trapped 
in such a mess, I would have come by taxi to save my time and my 
car." 
 
HISTORY OF ROAD CLOSURE 
 
¶7. (SBU) The practice of road closures is not new to Ashgabat.  They 
started during President Niyazov's regime.  Niyazov would himself 
drive his official Mercedes and traffic police would block the roads 
along his route to ensure his security and unimpeded movement. 
However, before the alleged assassination attempt in November 2002, 
the road closures applied only to cars, not to pedestrians.  During 
Berdimuhamedov's presidency, the road closures have become a more 
frequent practice and cover longer time periods and geographical 
distances. 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: The problem of road closures and resulting traffic 
hassles will continue until municipal authorities find a way to 
solve the problem by improving road infrastructure.  It seems that 
the government has realized the problem, if the recent visit by 
Saint Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko is any indication. 
During her visit, Berdimuhamedov approved a contract with a Russian 
firm for design and construction of seven new roads, together with 
overpasses and bridges.  Its planned completion in May 2012 won't be 
a moment too soon for Ashgabat drivers.  END COMMENT. 
 
CURRAN