VZCZCXRO0817
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHAH #0007 0051006
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051006Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4002
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000007 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN AND NEA/IR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON EPET EU IR TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN:  WESTERN BOYCOTT OF AHMADINEJAD 
EVENTS 
 
REF: ASHGABAT 0006 
 
¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for Public Internet. 
 
¶2. (SBU) French Embassy Charge Henri Leval contacted us 
January 5 to inform that the EU had decided not to 
participate in events associated with the official visit of 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Head of Mission 
level.  Since most of the European missions in Ashgabat are 
small, it meant that there would be no representatives of 
France, Germany or the UK at the events.  The DCM would 
represent the Romanian Embassy.  The Polish Embassy was still 
waiting for instructions.  We had informed our EU colleagues 
earlier that there would be no U.S. Embassy participation at 
the events. 
 
¶3. (U) Ahmadinejad arrived in Turkmenistan on January 5 for 
official meetings and will participate in the January 6 
opening of the Dovletabad-Serakhs-Hangeran pipeline, the 
second Turkmenistan-to-Iran gas pipeline (reftel).  Official 
events to which the Turkmenistan government has invited the 
diplomatic corps include an official welcoming ceremony for 
Ahmadinejad (January 5), an official dinner in Ahmadinejad's 
honor (January 5), and the pipeline opening.  Per tradition, 
the visiting head of state shakes the hand of each embassy 
representative during the welcoming ceremony. 
 
¶4. (SBU) COMMENT:  We were surprised by the EU decision, 
since they tend not to take stands here.  Nevertheless, given 
events in Iran since the June presidential election, our EU 
colleagues no doubt consider it the correct course of action. 
END COMMENT. 
CURRAN