RUSSIAN TRANSNISTRIA SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL DEMARCHE:

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 007412 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2013 TAGS: MD PBTS PREL TU SUBJECT: RUSSIAN TRANSNISTRIA SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL DEMARCHE: TURKEY REF: A. STATE 323562 ¶B. CHISINAU 1390 (U) Classified by Political Counselor John Kunstadter, E.O. 12958, reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Due to Turkey's week-long official holiday, Embassy deputy political counselor delivered ref A demarche to MFA Eastern Europe Department Head Omur Solendil on December 3. ¶2. (C) Solendil said the GOT had "noted" the Russian Transnistria memorandum was prepared without consultation with the OSCE. He claimed that Turkey supported Moldovan territorial integrity, but undercut himself by adding that the GOT was not "specifically worried" that the Russian memorandum threatened it. Citing lack of transparency in developing the memorandum and the possibility of new draft articles that could authorize Russian troop presence through 2020 (ref B),we replied that this appeared to be part of a Russian effort to play an inappropriate role in Transnistria. Solendil said Turkey supported peaceful resolution of the Transnistria dispute, but only if the proposed solution were viable and acceptable to all concerned. We said that the USG considered the Russian proposal neither viable nor acceptable within Moldova proper, and that this posed the specter of unrest; Solendil said the GOT had "seen reports" to that effect. ¶3. (C) Solendil noted at the November 27 OSCE Permanent Council Meeting, MFA Deputy U/S Sensoy had called Transnistria negotiations to be concluded in consultation with the other mediators in the conflict. Sensoy added that the GOT was committed to CFE as a cornerstone of Europe's security architecture, and that Russian fulfillment of the Istanbul commitments was of utmost importance. Solendil said Turkey would prefer a multinational force in Transnistria, perhaps along the lines of Berlin-plus. DEUTSCH