UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU UNCLASSIFIED SBU MRN: Date/DTG: From: Action: E.O.: TAGS: 04 ASH G ABAT 1 028 N ov 1 2, 2004 / 1 2085 1 Z N O V 04 AM EM BASSY ASH G ABAT R U EH C /SEC STATE W ASH D C r o u tin e 1 29 5 8 AO R C , TSPA, PR EL, PG O V, EAID , O SC I, TX Captions: SENSITIVE Subject: TU R KM EN ISTAN , C IVIL SO C IETY AN D U F O S R 1 2085 1 Z N O V 04 F M AM EM BASSY ASH G ABAT TO R U EH C /SEC STATE W ASH D C 5 085 IN F O R U C N C IS/C IS C O LLEC TIVE R U EH VEN /U SM ISSIO N U SO SC E 1 267 R U EH G V/U SM ISSIO N G EN EVA 09 05 R U EH BS/U SEU BR U SSELS R U EAIIA/C IA W ASH D C R U EKD IA/D IA W ASH D C //D H O -2/R EA/N M JIC -J2// R H EH N SC /N SC W ASH D C R U C AAC C /U SC EN TC O M M AC D ILL AF B F L//C C J2/H SE/C C J5 // R U EKJC S/SEC D EF W ASH IN G TO N D C R U EKJC S/JO IN T STAF F W ASH IN G TO N D C //J5 /R U E// BT U N C LAS SEC TIO N 01 O F 02 ASH G ABAT 001 028 OENOITIV& D EPT F O R EU R /C AC EN (R U BIN ) E.O . 1 29 5 8: N /A TAG S: AO R C , TSPA, PR EL, PG O V, EAID , O SC I, TX SU BJEC T: TU R KM EN ISTAN , C IVIL SO C IETY AN D U F O S R EF : A) Ashgabat 9 89 (N O TAL) B) Ashgabat 406 (N O TAL) C ) Ashgabat 29 1 (N O TAL) D ) Ashgabat 234 (N O TAL) OENOITIVE BUT UNCLAQOIFIED - PLEASE H AN D LE AC C O R D IN G LY Sum m ary 1 . (ODU) Yes, U F O s. Som ehow , over tim e, the U nion of R eleased in F ull John Pow ers, Acting-D irector U S D epartm ent of State 2/25 /2026 UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU Pa g e 1 of 5 UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU U F O Iogists of Turkm enabat has established a reputation as a reliable N G O partner for a variety of activities from assisting w ith sm all and m edium businesses, to distributing hum anitarian assistance, to assisting N G O s w ith registering under the 2003 N G O law . The U F O Iogists have developed a good rapport w ith local authorities, they say, and are able to accom plish their tasks because & quot;everyone is interested in U F O s.& quot; The U F O Iogists next initiative is to publish an independent new sletter, the first in independent Turkm enistan. 2. (ODU) In the appearances-are-deceiving w orld of Turkm enistan, it alm ost seem s fitting that one of the U SG & apos;s m ost reliable im plem enters is equally com m itted to looking for life on another planet. End Sum m ary. U F O s in Turkm enabat 3. (ODU) O n N ovem ber 5 , D C M and U SAID D irector m et w ith the Board and interested m em bers of the U nion of U fO logists (U O U ) of Turkm enabat, Lebap W elayet (province). The U nion of U F O Iogists is w orking on an $8,5 32 grant to assist other local N G O s navigate the N G O registration process of the new N G O law (reftels). The U O U w as the first N G O to register after independence in 1 9 9 2 and w as the first independent N G O to reregister successfully under the new 2003 N G O law . 4. (ODU) Though the U nion first w as established to pursue the study of life on other planets, over tim e its activities becam e m ore & quot;practical,& quot; Board m em bers told the D C M . M em bers of the U nion have attended international U F O fora and published on the subject, but m ost m em bers assured the D C M , they had lim ited or no interest in the subject at all. U O U President O vezberdy M uradov said the Turkm en m ilitary and governm ent authorities had consulted him about m ysterious occurrences in Turkm en airspace, but he said there had been no confirm ed sightings of U F O s in Turkm enistan. Peace on Earth 5 . (ODU) Instead, the U nion has attracted a local brain trust of law yers, scientists, com puter experts, accountants, teachers and others w ho had joined together to & quot;do good things.& quot; Pointing to their m ission statem ent in English, R ussian and Turkm en hanging on the w all of their office, m em bers assured the D C M that any assistance they provided w ould fit their m ission. According to their statem ent, the U F O Iogists & quot;help spread the ideas about the struggle for peace and hum an coexistence on Earth and in the U niverse.& quot; Because of their diverse activities, the U O U has becom e an um brella organization w ith at least nine m em ber organizations running R eleased in Fu ll UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU Pa g e 2 of 5 UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU activities from sport, to youth, to business consulting. The U nion has over 1 000 m em bers including som e individual m em bers from other w elayets. R egistering Sm all and M edium Businesses 6. (ODU) M em bers told the D C M they first started the & quot;practical& quot; side of their w ork shortly after independence by assisting sm all and m edium -sized businesses register w ith local authorities. According to the U O U President, during the '9 0& apos;s the U nion assisted 1 87 enterprises in registering ranging from farm ers unions to joint enterprises to a shoe factory. The U O U told the D C M all ASH G ABAT 00001 028 002 O F 002 this consulting w as done pro bono. The U nion m ade m oney over the years, how ever, by running for-fee com puter, accounting and other & quot;non-traditional& quot; courses such as U F O Iogy and m assage. 7. (ODU) U O U President M uradov told the D C M the U nion had been successful in this effort because it had the respect of local authorities. According to M uradov, & quot;everyone is interested in U F O s& quot; and local authorities w ere eager to assist and also learn m ore about U F O s. The U nion also regularly ran U F O -related sem inars and talks, w hich w ere w ell attended. 8. (ODU) In addition to com m ercial w ork, the U O U obtained experience in hum anitarian goods distribution w hen it becam e a partner of the State D epartm ent funded C H AP hum anitarian assistance program adm inistered by C ounterpart International. U O U facilitated hum anitarian assistance to refugees from the civil w ar in Tajikistan and also w ith Afghan refugees. M uradov said the U nion w as eager to continue w ith such w ork, should the need arise. Assisting N G O s 9 . (ODU) Because of their established track record and their success in re-registering after the austere 2003 N G O law w as passed, U SAID , through C ounterpart International, is considering a $1 5 ,000 grant to assist the U O U w ith internal capacity building. The grant passed the local grants com m ittee and has been forw ard to the regional com m ittee for consideration. The U O U already has successfully registered an N G O and is w orking on the registration docum ents of four others. N ext, an Independent N ew sletter R eleased in Fu ll UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU Pa g e 3 of 5 UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU 1 0. (ODU) U SAID w as presented w ith a grant proposal by the U O U for a $30k grant for printing equipm ent for the U O U to establish its ow n new sletter. Though printing of independent m edia is illegal in Turkm enistan, the U O U assured D C M it already had advance approval from local authorities because a license w as needed for anything over 1 000 copies and the U O U only planned to publish 9 9 9 copies. U O U m em bers said the content of the new sletter w ould be nonpolitical and only w ould describe the activities of the U nion. If m em bers w anted to m ake additional copies, the U O U told D C M , & quot;that is up to them .& quot; Eventually subscribers w ould be charged for the new sletter, w hich w ould then becom e self-sustaining, according to the U O U plan. U SAID has requested that the U O U subm it a stronger, m ore cost-effective proposal. 1 1 . (ODU) The U O U also is considering opening chapters in other w elayets because & quot;our services are in so m uch dem and.& quot; C om m ent 1 2. (ODU) C razy? Like a fox; and w orthy of U SG attention and support. End C om m ent. 1 3. (U ) M inim ize considered. JAC O BSO N BT #1 028 N N N N Signature: JAC O BSO N Info: R U EH VEN /U SM ISSIO N U SO SC E r o u tin e; R U EH G V/U SM ISSIO N G EN EVA r o utine; R U EH BS/U SEU BR U SSELS R O U TIN E; R U EAIIA/C IA W ASH D C R O U TIN E; R U EKD IA/D IA W ASH D C //D H O -2/R EA/N M JIC -J2// r o utine; R H EH N SC /N SC W ASH D C r o u tine; R U C AAC C /U SC EN TC O M M AC D ILL AF B F U /C C J2/H SE/C C J5 // r o utine; R U EKJC S/SEC D EF W ASH IN G TO N D C R O U TIN E; R U EKJC S/JO IN T STAF F W ASH IN G TO N D C //J5 /R U E// R O U TIN E; C IS C O LLEC TIVE r o utine XMT: ST PETER SBU R G , AM C O N SU L Dissemination Rule: Archive C opy R eleased in Fu ll UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU Pa g e 4 of 5 UN C LA SSIFIED 5BU UNCLASSIFIED SBU R eleased in Fu ll UN C LA SSIFIED Sfttl Pa g e 5 of 5