TURKS SHARE CONCERNS ON ESDP AND "BERLIN PLUS"

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 005312

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/19/2013
TAGS: PREL MARR EU TU
SUBJECT: TURKS SHARE CONCERNS ON ESDP AND "BERLIN PLUS"


REF: STATE 235459


(U) Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch, reasons 1.5, b/d.


(C) Although Turkey is not yet an EU accession state and will
not participate in the August 29 Rome meeting, PolMilOff
shared reftel points with MFA NATO officer Esra Dogan August

19. PolMilOff emphasized that because the US and Turkey had
often shared common views on ESDP and had coordinated so
successfully in the past, the US hoped that the GOT would
echo reftel concerns to its European contacts in the coming
weeks. (MFA had previously informed the Embassy that GOT
officials were planning to visit European capitols to explain
its interest in participation in the Iraq stabilization
force.) Dogan noted that the GOT shared US concerns about
duplicative institutions to the detriment of both
capabilities investment and transparency with NATO. She said
she would notify her superiors of the US points.
EDELMAN