DEMARCHE ON SECOND ROUND OF UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006368

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2114
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM EU UP TU
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON SECOND ROUND OF UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS: TURKEY

REF: A. STATE 240442

B. ANKARA 5847

C. STATE 220961

D. STATE 217357

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY DEPUTY POLITICAL COUNSELOR CHARLES O. BLAH
A BY E.0. 12958, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) On November 10 we presented reftel A demarche to
Turkish MFA Eastern Europe Political Officer Yavuz Evirgen,
noting that we had demarched the MFA on Ukrainian elections
as recently as October 14. Evirgen replied that Turkey had
sent ten observers, five members of Parliament and five
Turkish Embassy staffers based in Kiev to the first round of
elections. For the second round of elections, the GOT plans
to send approximately three or four members of Parliament and
two or three staff members from the Turkish Embassy in Kiev,
but did not have their names. Evirgen noted that academics
would like to participate as observers, but the projected
cost of $2,050 per person is prohibitively expensive for
Turkish universities to fund.


2. (C) Evirgen confirmed that GOT participation in sending
a larger delegation of observers to monitor Kosovo elections
is based in part on protecting the interests of the Turkish
minority in that country; there is not a similar concern in
Ukraine.
EDELMAN