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id: 48614
date: 12/27/2005 10:22
refid: 05DUSHANBE2094
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 05DUSHANBE1919|05DUSHANBE2013
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 002094
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2015
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ENRG, TI, RS, AF, Hydropower and Energy
SUBJECT: «WITHOUT THE US, ROGUN WILL NOT BE BUILT»: TAJIK ENERGY
MINISTER
REF: A) DUSHANBE 2013 B) DUSHANBE 1919
CLASSIFIED BY: Thomas Armbruster, Charge d Affaires, US Embassy
Dushanbe, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) The United States and AES
still have significant roles
to play in Tajikistan’s hydropower sector. Tajik Minister of
Energy Jurabek Nurmamatov told PolOff rumors of RusAl dominating
the Rogun project did not reflect the Ministry’s position or the
Tajik government’s. RusAl had
taken only a preliminary step by
committing to a third of the project.
He dismissed as
unimportant a recent news report regarding a strictly
Russian-Tajik commission to determine Rogun’s cost and
inventory, noting the State Committee for Management of
State-owned property, and not the MoE, was behind the new body.
«As far as we are concerned, without the United States, Rogun
will never be built.» MoE
has more political clout that the
State Committee.
2. (C) Rogun will be an
international project, he emphasized,
involving the World Bank, AES, the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development and other international partners,
to export electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nurmamatov
regarded the January 12 meeting in Islamabad to draft a
Memorandum of Understanding (reftel A) as the point to clarify
RusAl and AES’s roles in the project.
Furthermore, he saw a
role for AES in Sangtuda, likely in the construction the
high-voltage transmission lines.
3. (C) COMMENT: Nurmamatov’s comments downplay recent rumors
about Oleg Deripaska and RusAl’s involvement in Rogun, and
reinforce President Rahmonov’s recent message to the Ambassador
(reftel B) that the United States will be a key player. Whether
the Tajiks are telling the Russians something different about
Rogun remains an open question.
4. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED:
Speaking cheerfully and frankly,
Nurmamatov was all business and no small talk. He answered
PolOff’s questions directly and completely, but did not engage
in wider discussions of energy or the economy. Embassy staff
who have met with him previously say he is accessible and open,
but always to the point. END
COMMENT.
ARMBRUSTER
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=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 48631
date: 12/27/2005 13:00
refid: 05DUSHANBE2097
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE
002097
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2015
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TI, PHUM, ENRG, Hydropower and Energy, Economics and
Trade
SUBJECT: BACK IN THE USSR?
TAJIKISTAN’S SECURITY WONKS UNDECIDED
CLASSIFIED BY: Thomas Armbruster, Charge d Affaires, US Embassy
Dushanbe, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b)
1. (SBU) Tajikistan understands
the economic and security
benefits of globalization, but Russia remains Central Asia’s
most important global partner.
These two themes dominated the
papers at a conference on «Globalization: National Interests
and National Security for Central Asian Countries» sponsored by
the Russian-Tajiki (Slavonic) University in Dushanbe December
22.
2. (SBU) Many speakers’ key
points mirrored U.S. policy in
Tajikistan: narcotics trafficking remains the scourge of Central
Asia and threatens regional stability; hydropower has enormous
potential to link Tajikistan and its neighbors; China,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India could all be potential trading
partners; the war on terror has demonstrated that every
country-even the United States-must be vigilant in its national
security efforts.
3. (SBU) In the opening remarks,
Deputy Foreign Minister
Nasredinov called social-economic security a top priority and
noted drug trafficking and poverty impeded economic development.
Hydro energy projects with
Russia, Iran, Pakistan and China
were vital to Tajikistan’s growth.
Only a few papers resorted
to Soviet-style propaganda, blaming the United States for
globalization, or cautioning against Western involvement in the
region.
4. (C) Although the Russian
Ambassador was slated to speak
second, DCM Svetlichniy represented him, as has become the norm
at public events in Dushanbe.
Svetlichniy noted that Russia had
underestimated the importance of Central Asia in the 1990s but
was now trying to strengthen its ties to the region. He
acknowledged the United States, China and the EU had strategic
interests in Central Asia. He
suggested Russia and CIS states
should follow the American NGO model but create their own NGOs
to «better address» the specific problems of the former Soviet
Union.
5. (SBU) PolOff’s remarks highlighted how Tajikistan
already
benefits from globalization in everyday life, from cell phones
and product choices to fast money wire transfers from Tajik
workers in Russia. She
underscored that Tajiks should not fear
the openness that comes from global trade and communication and
cautioned that the only way Tajikistan would attract foreign
investment-a theme highlighted by the Foreign Minister and
others-is to ensure a transparent investment climate.
6. (SBU) Other speakers represented various Tajik
ministries
and academic institutions, as well as the Russian and U.S.
Embassies. At least eight Russian
diplomats dutifully attended,
as did the Uzbek Ambassador, and representatives of the Afghan
and Iranian Embassies. When the
German Ambassador left after
the third paper and the Turkish Ambassador failed to show,
PolOff was the sole Westerner, left to defend everything from
the Nizhniy Pyanj bridge to the «threat» of the English
language
and the Internet to Tajikistan’s security. PolOff’s speech
garnered the most responses and questions, some predictably
accusatory («Globalization
means Americanization!») but many
sincere.
7. (SBU) While a number of papers highlighted the
United
States’ role in Central Asia, noting the U.S.-financed bridge
construction on the Tajik-Afghan border at Nizhniy Pyanj would
open up trade possibilities, the «special relationship» with
Russia appeared in almost every paper and question.
Tajikistan’s need to balance its historic ties to Russia with
new global and regional challenges remained a key and unresolved
issue, and many speakers cautioned Tajik decisions makers from
too hastily departing from these historical ties.
8. (C) COMMENT: The Russian DCM’s
pitch for Russian NGOs was a
sly and sophisticated proposal, potentially to sideline American
and Western activities in the region.
During the coffee break,
Svetlichniy told PolOff he was pleasantly surprised by the
quality and thoughtfulness of the papers.
9. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: This conference was an unusually
frank and open discussion of Tajikistan’s needs and future. The
presence of at such a large Russian delegation sent a message
that the Russians pay attention to Tajikistan on high and low
levels. At the same time, most of
the discussion was not
neo-Soviet, but a serious conversation about how Tajikistan
should balance its interests to benefit from the global economic
forces. Russia’s undeniable
influence was felt, but there was
little urging to return to the past dependency.
ARMBRUSTER
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=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 48859
date: 12/30/2005 6:47
refid: 05DUSHANBE2129
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 002129
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, SA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPAO, RS, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK MEDIA NAMES RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR «DIPLOMAT OF THE
YEAR»
1. A New Year’s tradition,
Tajikistan’s electronic news agency
«Asia Plus» and Russian-language independent paper
«Kurier
Tajikistana» published best of the year lists, sourced from
editors’ personal opinions and popularity polls, and the
diplomatic community wasn’t left out of their end of the year
analysis. «Asia Plus»
ranked Russian Ambassador Ramazan
Abdulatipov as «Diplomat of the Year.» In «Kurier Tajikistana,»
Abdulatipov edged out Ambassador Hoagland 16 — 7 for «Most
Active Diplomat.»
2. «Asia Plus,»
published a lengthy section on Abdulatipov that
praises him for being the first Muslim Russian Ambassador to
Tajikistan as well as a famous scientist and statesman. He was
also lauded for his «zealous work in Tajikistan that
overshadowed his colleague, Ambassador Hoagland.»
3. (SBU) COMMENT. The Tajik mass media is ever quick to pit
the United States against Russia on all manner of issues. This
is not always negative, however, as papers, editors, and issues
swing between the two camps, keeping readers engaged in what the
two countries are doing in Tajikistan.
The influence of Russian
media organs, the Tajik State-owned press, and cautious
self-censorship continue to remain an issue with free
independent press in Tajikistan, but moments of open criticism,
genuine reporting, and free expression have been, and continue
to be, present. END COMMENT.
ARMBRUSTER
NNNN
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 48863
date: 12/30/2005 7:41
refid: 05DUSHANBE2130
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 05Dushanbe1786
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 002130
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, EAIR, ECON, TI, Economics and Trade
SUBJECT: PROGRESS, BUT NO ETA FOR TURKISH AIR IN TAJIKISTAN
REF: Dushanbe 1786
1. Turkish Airlines (TKA) has
moved one step closer to
introducing a new Istanbul-Dushanbe.
The Turkish Ambassador
Altay Cenziger reported a framework agreement was signed
December 23, allowing Turkish Airlines to conduct technical
assessments and preparations for the new route. He estimated
flights could commence late January or early February, likely
not/not coinciding with President Rahmonov’s visit to Turkey
January 15-19. The deal, part of
an economic Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement, gives Turkish Airlines one weekly flight
and allows Tajikistan State Air (TSA) to continue operating its
own Dushanbe-Istanbul route.
2. Despite the positive
breakthrough, the agreement was over
two years in the making, with much frustration and haggling on
both sides. Cenziger had
previously expressed frustration and
bewilderment at the Tajiks’ inflexibility, and commented in
early December that this was TKA’s last attempt to enter the
Tajik market—if it did not succeed, the Turks would stop the
TSA flight to Istanbul. Turkish
Airlines does not anticipate
SIPDIS
making a profit on the initial flights, but hoped that three
flights a week would eventually bring a larger customer base to
TKA’s connecting flights in Istanbul.
3. Firdavs Mukhtarov, head of
TSA’s Marketing Division,
observed Turkish Airlines had played hardball, and should not
expect TSA to give it three flights a week, thus undercutting
TSA’s own lucrative Dushanbe-Istanbul flight. The Tajiks still
SIPDIS
smart from Turkish Airlines’ cancellation of a planned TSA
Istanbul-Munich route (reftel).
4. In a December 23 meeting,
Mukhtarov dismissed rumors that
Munich Airport was going to prevent TSA from landing its aging
Tupelovs. (NOTE: The international community relies heavily on
that flight as the only direct connection to Europe. END NOTE)
He observed the Dushanbe-Munich route did not benefit Tajiks,
who rarely receive tourist visas for Europe. However, TSA would
continue to operate the flight for the foreseeable future.
5. Internal competition and
corruption blocked reform more than
any external factors, according to Mukhtarov. The head of the
department that sets prices has no business plan, no model for
determining costs or profits.
Another source in TSA confirmed a
recent new report that on any given TSA flight, 10-30% of seats
were automatically reserved for VIPs, often under the name
Rahmonov or Ubaidalloyev, Dushanbe’s powerful mayor. Asked
about the implementation of an electronic ticketing system
linked to the international reservation system, Mukhtarov
smiled. «It should be done December 31.» Would it be actually
operational in a week?
Silence. Some have speculated
that the
electronic system would make pricing and reservations
transparent, thus eliminating a source of under-the-table income
and special favors.
6. The European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
recently announced a $5 million loan to help TSA lease two new
aircraft. Mukhtarov knew of no
serious plans to lease Boeings
with the assistance.
7. COMMENT: The international community continues to hold
its
breath at the thought of a Western carrier coming to Dushanbe,
but the forces working against change within TSA present the
real barrier to reform. There
exists a catch-22: only a Western
carrier that threatens TSA’s market share will force TSA to meet
international standards of business and customer service. But
given TSA’s control of airline industry, and the very limited
profits for any Western carrier willing to fly to Tajikistan,
few carriers aside from Turkish Airlines have any interest in
Tajikistan.
8. COMMENT CONTINUED: The other longstanding catch is that
international businessmen will not fly to Dushanbe without a
Western-style hotel here. Local
wisdom says an
international-class hotel will not open until Western carriers
bring the businessmen. There
finally seems to be some movement
on all of these fronts, but it has been painfully slow. END
COMMENT.
ARMBRUSTER
NNNN
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 48982
date: 1/3/2006 4:48
refid: 06DUSHANBE1
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000001
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN,SA; PASS TO USDA/USAID/DCHA/FFP/DP MNIMS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, TI, Economics and Trade
SUBJECT: CARE/TAJIKISTAN FY 2006 JANUARY CALL FORWARD FOR THE FY
2005-2009 TITLE II DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY PROGRAM
REF: A. (A) CARE/TAJIKISTAN SUBMITTED CALL FORWARD REQUEST DATED
DECEMBER 29, 2005
B. (B) CARE/TAJIKISTAN AER
DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 2005
C. (C) BELLMON DETERMINATION
FOR FY 2004
1. The purpose of this cable is
to provide Mission
concurrence with CARE’s submission of below mentioned
commodities for arrival in May, 2006. Mission supports CARE’s
request for commodities for distribution submitted on behalf of
CARE, Mercy Corps, Save the Children and Counterpart.
2. Mission understands that current financial
shortfalls have
resulted in suspended global pipelines for USG supported food
programming and is concerned by the implications that might
impact the commodity allocation for Tajikistan. Mission
requests DCHA/FFP approve the
full call forward.
3. Of this call forward, the
whole allocation of 1,780 MT OF
WHEAT FLOUR, 260 MT OF VEGETABLE OIL and 310 MT OF LENTILS will
be used for direct distribution.
4. Mission concurs with
CARE’s call forward of 1,780 MT(50 KG
BAG) WHEAT FLOUR, 260 MT (4-LITER PLASTIC CAN) VEGETABLE OIL and
310 MT (50 KG BAG) LENTILS for May 2006 in-country arrival.
5. Specifications for
commodities are:
Wheat Flour:
Grade: No. 1
Minimum Protein Level: 9.0
percent
Maximum Moisture Content: 14.0
percent
Packing: 50 kg woven
polypropylene bags
Minimum Iron level: 20 mg/lb
Quantity: 1,780 MT
Vegetable Oil, 4L:
Grade/Quality: Fortified Refined
Vegetable Oil
Packing: 4-liter (3.7kg) plastic
containers, 6
containers per carton
Quantity: 260 MT
Lentils:
Grade/Quality: per USDA standard
Packing: 50 kg polypropylene
bags
Quantity: 310 MT
6. CARE has requested that its
freight forwarder determine the
ocean routing of commodities.
Past ports for food deliveries to
Tajikistan have included Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Riga. These
European ports are likely to be the points of entry for this
shipment.
7. CARE and its implementing
partners will arrange for
storage and delivery of the commodities to the distribution
sites through established networks.
8. The Bellmon analysis (ref. C)
states that there is a large
population in Tajikistan with inadequate access to food for
consumption because of low incomes.
The call forward Title II
commodities will not compete with usual levels of commercial
imports.
9. The Mission Director has
further determined that the
shipment of 1,780 MT(50 KG BAG) WHEAT FLOUR, 260 MT (4-LITER
PLASTIC CAN) VEGETABLE OIL and 310 MT (50 KG BAG) LENTILS for
May 2006 in-country arrival is in compliance with the Bellmon
requirements for P.L. 480 Title II activities and will cause no
production disincentive or storage problems.
10. Mission requests DCHA/FFP
approval of the full call forward
level, to arrive in country in May 2006.
ARMBRUSTER
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=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 48986
date: 1/3/2006 5:41
refid: 06DUSHANBE2
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 06DUSHANBE209
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
030541Z Jan 06
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000002
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, SA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, ETRD, PGOV, PREL, TI, Regional Trade, Economics and
Trade
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN’S TOP EXPORT, COTTON, CONTINUES TO DECLINE
REF: DUSHANBE 209
1. SUMMARY: Tajikistan’s cotton harvest continues to
decline
since the fall of the Soviet Union due to lack of farm capital,
poor land management, and detrimental financing options. The
government acknowledges a need to change policies to resuscitate
the cotton industry, but real reform has been slow. END SUMMARY.
2. Tajikistan only harvested
73.3% of its 610,000 tons cotton
quota this year, down 109,354 tons from last year. The loss of
over one-quarter of expected cotton revenue, coupled with
decreasing world cotton prices, hurts Tajikistan’s economy and
its impoverished farmers, three-fourths of whom grow cotton.
Based on this year’s results, Tajik authorities plan to revise
the cotton quota for 2006 down to 550,000 tons from the slated
610,000 tons. The government had
forecasted cotton harvest
yields through 2010 and hoped to harvest 750,000 tons in 2010,
but will most likely have to downgrade upcoming projections.
Tajik cotton production has been in decline since the collapse
of the Soviet Union when the country averaged one million tons
of cotton per year. In addition
to reducing expectations for
the cotton harvest, authorities have allocated less land towards
cotton for 2006, only 250,000 hectares compared to 2005’s
288,000 hectares.
3. In a newspaper article
December 26, Prime Minister Akilov
blamed the poor harvest on a shortage of technical equipment and
futures companies’ failure to provide pesticides and fertilizer
in a timely manner. Futures
companies are the interlocutors
between international investors and farmers. They provide loans
and farm supplies to farmers and collect the cotton to sell on
the international market. Akilov
held a meeting on December 24
with relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture,
the Tajik Central Bank and futures companies to strategize an
efficient 2006 harvest. Regional
authorities were tasked with
preparing for cotton sowing by mid-January. He also stated that
farms should clear off their water and electricity debt.
According to Saidmurod Bahriddinov, Chief of the Department of
Technical Crops, the government decreased the 2006’s cotton
target to increase grain, potato and vegetable production in an
effort to balance food security, a growing concern for
Tajikistan.
POOR LAND MANAGEMENT LEADS TO LOW COTTON YIELD
4. Tajikistan’s poor cotton
harvest stems from a combination of
many factors (REFTEL). Tajikistan’s concentrated efforts on
growing cotton has taken its toll on the land and led to a
decrease in cotton yield. An old
and inefficient irrigation
system exacerbated by Tajikistan’s high elevation has worsened
land salinization and rendered the land infertile to crops.
Although all farms have been privatized, farmers have no say
over what they can use the land for and are instructed by the
government to grow cotton year after year just so the country
can meet its cotton quota. There
is no system of crop rotation
and continuous cotton growth wears out the land.
5. Access to water affects the
entire country and lack of water
contributes to a low cotton harvest.
Agriculture uses 84% of
Tajikistan’s water supply, however due to an inefficient and old
leaky irrigation system, only half of the water actually reaches
farms. Prime Minister Akilov
called on farmers to cut their
electricity and water debt.
However, the cost of pumping water
up to high elevations is expensive and many impoverished farmers
cannot pay their electric or water bills.
6. Akilov’s complaints about the
lack of machinery and futures
companies are valid. Cotton is
still handpicked in Tajikistan
by peasants and forced student laborers.
Farmers complain that
existing gins are inefficient and the majority cannot afford
capital machinery for their farms.
Futures companies hold a
monopoly over farm supplies and force farmers to buy products at
their designated prices. The
futures companies’ delay in
supplying pesticide this year was detrimental to Tajik crops,
which are constantly plagued by pests.
Tajikistan is also
disadvantaged by not having a cotton grading facility. Although
the cotton may be high quality, it is bought by international
buyers at a discount since the quality of the cotton must be
established offshore.
THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO REFORM
7. The Minister of Agriculture
sent a letter in November to
President Rahmonov outlining several recommended agriculture
reforms, including: introducing better cotton seeds, increasing
crop rotation, and increasing the number of domestic cotton
gins. The Ministry of Agriculture
hopes to see a textiles
industry grow in Tajikistan.
8. Reforming the banking and
finance sector would help small
and medium-sized enterprises as well as the country’s farmers.
Tajik farmers owe an estimated 230 million dollars to banks and
investors. Bahriddinov told
PolOff that President Rahmonov gave
a verbal order to the National Bank to lend directly to farmers
and not go through futures companies.
The government set up an
independent commission to investigate reforming the futures
companies.
9. Bahriddinov said President
Rahmonov is looking at ways to
offer credit at a lower rate and provide farmers with the loans
they need. Bank loan interest
rates are exorbitantly high at up
to 36% and prevent farmers as well as other entrepreneurs from
borrowing money. However, the
futures companies set interest
rates on farm loans even higher at nearly 60%. Banks will not
lend to farmers because the farmers come with old land debt. In
addition, the banks require collateral on the loans, which
farmers cannot provide, thereby prohibiting them from receiving
bank credit.
10. Even the government has
acknowledged futures companies do
not meet expectations as investment mediators and contribute to
farmers’ debt. Political
interests have prevented reform of the
banking sector and the role of futures companies. The Chairman
of the National Bank, Murodali Alimardonov, is also a partner of
HIMA, one of the largest Tajik futures companies. His
investment in the cotton industry is a conflict of interest in
reforming the sector.
11. Although the government, NGOs
and farmers complain about
futures companies’ gouging activities, the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) has argued middlemen are needed because international
investors hesitate to deal with farmers directly. ADB instead
advises that the government audit futures companies, weed out
exploitative middlemen and establish good investment practices.
12. Tajikistan’s government
insists on promoting cotton because
it is a strategic cash crop for the country. Bahriddinov argues
this is because the state earns ten percent on all cotton
revenues, with cotton accounting for 40% of exports and
providing badly needed jobs.
13. COMMENT: The government may blame and rationalize a
poor
cotton harvest on a variety of peripheral factors, but a
consistently declining cotton yield is the result of bad
government policy, poor land management and a system that
squeezes farmers out of the business.
Unless Tajikistan can
reform the cotton industry and improve farming and land
conditions, the country will no longer be able to rely on cotton
to sustain its economy. Banking
and financial reforms are
needed, but are hindered by entrenched financial interests of
powerful politicians. The government is only beginning to
realize the need to reform. A
working group of NGOs, IFIs and
government officials continues to discuss ways to move the issue
forward in a way that addresses Tajikistan’s national interests
and not special interests. END
COMMENT.
ARMBRUSTER
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=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 48987
date: 1/3/2006 5:49
refid: 06DUSHANBE4
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000004
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
CORRECTED COPY
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, SA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPAO, RS, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK MEDIA NAMES RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR «DIPLOMAT OF THE
YEAR»
1. (U) A New Year’s tradition,
Tajikistan’s electronic news
agency «Asia Plus» and Russian-language independent paper
«Kurier Tajikistana» published best of the year lists, sourced
from editors’ personal opinions and popularity polls, and the
diplomatic community wasn’t left out of their end of the year
analysis. «Asia Plus»
ranked Russian Ambassador Ramazan
Abdulatipov as «Diplomat of the Year.» In «Kurier Tajikistana,»
Abdulatipov edged out Ambassador Hoagland 16 — 7 for «Most
Active Diplomat.»
2. (U) «Asia Plus,»
published a lengthy section on Abdulatipov
that praises him for being the first Muslim Russian Ambassador
to Tajikistan as well as a famous scientist and statesman. He
was also lauded for his «zealous work in Tajikistan that
overshadowed his colleague, Ambassador Hoagland.»
3. (SBU) COMMENT. The Tajik mass media is ever quick to pit
the United States against Russia on all manner of issues. This
is not always negative, however, as papers, editors, and issues
swing between the two camps, keeping readers engaged in what the
two countries are doing in Tajikistan.
The influence of Russian
media organs, the Tajik State-owned press, and cautious
self-censorship continue to remain an issue with free
independent press in Tajikistan, but rare moments of open
criticism and free expression have been, and continue to be,
present. END COMMENT.
ARMBRUSTER
NNNN
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 49002
date: 1/3/2006 10:58
refid: 06DUSHANBE16
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000016
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/3/2016
TAGS: PREL, ECON, ENRG, TI, RS, Economics and Trade, Hydropower and
Energy
SUBJECT: RUSSIA PLEASED WITH BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH TAJIKISTAN
REF: 05 DUSHANBE 2097
CLASSIFIED BY: Thomas Armbruster, Charge d Affaires, US Embassy
Dushanbe, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
1. (C) The year 2005 was very fruitful for Russia in
Tajikistan, according to the Russian DCM Viacheslav Svetlichny.
He highlighted the realization of long-standing commitments,
particularly those made by President Putin in October 2004 to
withdraw Russian border forces and increase economic assistance
to Tajikistan. In 75-minute
meeting with the Chargi and PolOff,
he elaborated on Russia’s diplomatic achievements, its
commercial and cultural interests in Tajikistan and Tajik-Uzbek
friction.
2. (C) Hydropower represents a big future for
Russian
investment, particularly the Rogun and Sangtuda power plants.
Svetlichny agreed Sangtuda could domestic fuel aluminum
production while Rogun’s power could be exported. He gave no
reason the U.S. firm AES could not play a role in the Rogun
project, particularly the construction of transmission lines.
In addition to hydro projects, the Russians were pleased with
turnout at the Russian Exposition in Dushanbe in December,
noting almost 50 Russian companies had participated.
3. (C) In the past two years, the increased number
of
high-level visits, and cultural and educational exchanges has
strengthened Russian-Tajik ties.
In addition to Putin’s 2004
visit to Dushanbe, Svetlichny gave the examples of Russian Prime
Minister Fratkov’s October 2005 visit and President Rahmonov’s
visit to Russia for the «Days of Tajik Culture» exhibit in St.
Petersburg as examples of intensified cooperation.
4. (SBU) Chargi outlined U.S. assistance and the shift
from
humanitarian aid to an emphasis on business and social
development.
5. (C) Svetlichny characterized the situation in
Uzbekistan as
«positive and negative,» but argued the new Russian-Uzbek
bilateral defense agreement gave the Russians more influence
over Uzbekistan. Central Asia is
one of the few regions in the
world that does not have strong anti-American sentiment, he
noted. «We support your work
here,» he said. On the border,
Svetlichny agreed the United States and Russia should cooperate
to help secure the Afghan-Tajik border to stem the flow of
narcotics. (NOTE: The Russian press continues to criticize
Tajikistan’s ability to control the border and suggests
Tajikistan and Russia would be better off with a return of
Russian border guards. The Tajiks
consider the reporting
«slander.» END NOTE)
6. (SBU) Svetlichniy invited Chargi and PolOff to the
Russian-sponsored «Diplomats’ Day» scheduled for February 10.
7. (C) COMMENT:
Svetlichny requested the meeting, his first
lengthy interaction with the Embassy since his arrival in
October 2005. At receptions and
conferences, he often engages
U.S. diplomats, and during the meeting, expressed his
appreciation and admiration of Ambassador Headland’s regular
ambassadorial get-togethers, suggesting it would be useful to
replicate the diplomatic interaction on a working level.
Russia’s pride in the success of its increased cultural
exchanges is further evidence of the Tajik’s thirst for contact
outside Central Asia. At a
conference on Central Asian Security
December 23, Svetlichny noted that Russia had ignored Central
Asia in the 1990s, but was now intensifying its efforts
(reftel). His comments then and
in this meeting highlight the
Russian strategy to pull Tajikistan back into Moscow’s orbit.
ARMBRUSTER
NNNN
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 49057
date: 1/4/2006 7:53
refid: 06DUSHANBE31
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of
the original cable is not available.
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000031
SIPDIS
001-06
EUR/CACEN
INL/AAE — DEBORAH HOOKER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR, Border issues, MIlitary assistance
SUBJECT: EMERGENCY SUPPLIES FOR TAJIKISTAN BORDER GUARDS
REF: NONE
The following is a letter to Secretary of Defence Donald
Rumsfeld from Chargi d’Affaires Thomas H. Armbruster, American
Embassy, Dushanbe Tajikistan. Hard copy to follow.
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:
There are few sights more heartening for Embassy officers than
seeing a U.S. Air Force C-130 landing.
On January 2, the first
C-130 landed in the snow in Dushanbe, bringing emergency support
to Tajikistan’s Border Guards.
I want to thank you for the airlift that Gen. Abizaid and his
command executed over the New Year’s holidays. Helping the
Tajik Border Guards establish and operate a base of operations
on the Afghan border, in spite of severe winter conditions, is
an important contribution to regional security, and advances
U.S. national interests by limiting the flow of illicit weapons,
narcotics, and terrorists.
Tajikistan continues to be a world leader in narcotics
interdictions, but border forces are not adequately resourced.
Had the Tajik Border Guards curtailed their operations for lack
of supplies, some in Russia could have pressured Tajikistan to
accept the return of Russian border guards. In his New Year’s
address, President Rahmonov noted, «The full takeover by Tajik
border guards of the protection of the state border between
Tajikistan and Afghanistan, as a symbol of our sovereign state,
was an important achievement.» The airlift helps Tajikistan
maintain its sovereign right to protect its own borders, and it
shows American commitment to regional stability.
CENTCOM’s efforts, in close cooperation with the Department of
State and Embassy Dushanbe’s Country Team, are having a
tremendous impact on the morale of the border guards. General
Zukhurov, Head of the Border Guards, sends his heartfelt thanks
and appreciation to all in the name of his personnel who now
The use of your counternarcotics «train and equip» authority
to
support national security objectives in the region shows great
foresight, and Gen. Abizaid and his command are to be commended.
We welcome your return to
Tajikistan anytime and once again
thank everyone involved, from pilots to loadmasters, for making
a real difference on the Tajik-Afghan border.
ARMBRUSTER
