TURKS LUKEWARM ABOUT LUKASHENKO'S ATTENDANCE AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 008089 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2012 TAGS: PREL BO TU NATO SUBJECT: TURKS LUKEWARM ABOUT LUKASHENKO'S ATTENDANCE AT PRAGUE REF: STATE 224591 Classified by Pol-Mil Counselor Stuart Brown, reasons 1.5, b/d. (C) Pol-MilOff delivered reftel demarche Nov. 8 to MFA DDG for NATO Affairs Sanivar Kizildeli. Kizildeli noted that Turkey had voted with the consensus when the PermReps decided to demarche Minsk on Lukashenko's non-attendance at the summit. Turkey would act in accordance with that decision. However, because the Turks have bilateral relations with Minsk and prefer to keep the dialogue with Belarus open and not push the country any farther away from NATO, Turkey will discourage Lukashenko's attendance through oral, vice written, messages. Kizildeli said it would "not be such a bad idea" for Lukashenko to hear the truth about the manner in which he is running Belarus at the EAPC, because he would not hear the truth from his own people. But she reiterated Turkey would honor its commitment to discourage him from attending. PEARSON