EU-RUSSIA SUMMIT - ESTABLISHING A NEW FRAMEWORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000765

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2014
TAGS: PREL EUN
SUBJECT: EU-RUSSIA SUMMIT - ESTABLISHING A NEW FRAMEWORK
FOR THE RELATIONSHIP


Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES KENNY FOR REASONS 1.4 (c) AND (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. FOLLOWING THE EU'S OWN ASSESSMENT OF
RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA AND THE APRIL 27 AGREEMENT ON THE
EXTENSION OF THE PCA, DFA'S RUSSIAN DIVISION HEAD, BARBARA
JONES, IS HOPEFUL THAT THE MAY 21 EU-RUSSIAN SUMMIT WILL HELP
ESTABLISH A MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR
FUTURE EU-RUSSIAN RELATIONS, ALTHOUGH IF TODAY'S (MAY 20)
TRADE TALKS GO WELL IN BRUSSELS, THE HEADLINE OUT OF MOSCOW
IS LIKELY TO BE ON RUSSIAN WTO MEMBERSHIP AND RELATED
PROGRESS ON THE KYOTO ACCORD.


2. (C) THE AGENDA IS SHORT (OPENING STATEMENTS, COMMON
SPACES, AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES OVER LUNCH, FOLLOWED BY A
PRESS CONFERENCE) AND THERE WILL BE NO COMMUNIQUE, BUT THE EU
WILL PUSH HARD FOR MORE POSITIVE RUSSIAN ENGAGEMENT IN
MOLDOVA, AND GEORGIA, TELLING THE RUSSIANS THAT A PRODUCTIVE
EU-RUSSIAN DIALOGUE SHOULD BEGIN "IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD."
JONES EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE EXCELLENT U.S.-EU
WORKING LEVEL COOPERATION DURING THE IRISH PRESIDENCY AND
HOPED IT WOULD CONTINUE INTO THE DUTCH PRESIDENCY. END
SUMMARY.

NEW FRAMEWORK FOR THE RELATIONSHIP
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3. (C) EMBOFF CALLED ON BARBARA JONES, DFA DIRECTOR FOR
EASTERN EUROPE, RUSSIA AND OSCE, MAY 19 FOR A PREVIEW OF THE
MAY 21 EU-RUSSIAN SUMMIT. JONES RECALLED THE EU'S OWN
SEVERAL MONTH LONG ASSESSMENT OF RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA AND
THE APRIL 27 AGREEMENT TO EXTEND THE PERMANENT COOPERATION
AGREEMENT (PCA) AND SAID SHE HOPED THAT THE FORTHCOMING
SUMMIT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO ESTABLISHING A NEW AND MORE
PRODUCTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA, BASED
UPON THE EU-RUSSIA PERMANENT PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL (PPC),WHICH
MET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN APRIL, AND THE EU ACTION PLANS
RELATED TO THE FOUR COMMON SPACES ON ECONOMY; FREEDOM,
SECURITY AND JUSTICE; EXTERNAL SECURITY; AND RESEARCH AND
EDUCATION. THE EU HANDED OVER ITS DRAFT PACKAGE AND ACTION
PLANS FOR ALL FOUR COMMON SPACES TO THE RUSSIANS FOLLOWING
THE APRIL AGREEMENT TO EXTEND THE PCA. DESPITE THE SHORT
TIME FRAME, THE EU IS HOPING THAT AT THE SUMMIT THE RUSSIANS
WILL ENDORSE THE CONCEPT AND ACCEPT THE PACKAGE AS A BASIS
FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION AND NEGOTIATION.


4. (C) IF THE ATMOSPHERE WAS "RIGHT", JONES SAID THAT PRIME
MINISTER AHERN MAY TRY TO OBTAIN PUTIN'S AGREEMENT TO HOLD
ONLY ONE EU-RUSSIAN SUMMIT PER ANNUM, RATHER THAN TWO, CITING
THIS AS A FURTHER RATIONALIZATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL
RELATIONSHIP, ESPECIALLY SINCE FOREIGN MINISTERS WOULD NOW
MEET TWICE A YEAR IN THE PPC.


5. (C) ASKED ABOUT RUSSIAN REPRESENTATION TO THE EU, JONES
SAID THAT SHE UNDERSTOOD THE FORMER RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO
POLAND WOULD SOON BE NAMED AS RUSSIAN ENVOY TO THE EU.

A SHORT, BUT BROAD AGENDA
--------------


6. (C) ACCORDING TO JONES, PREPARATIONS FOR THE SUMMIT HAVE
GONE EXCEEDINGLY WELL. THE AGENDA CONSISTS OF OPENING
STATEMENTS, DISCUSSION OF THE COMMON SPACE CONCEPT AND
MATERIAL (WHICH PROVIDES A BROAD CANVAS FOR THE POINTS THE EU
WISHES TO MAKE ON MOLDOVA, GEORGIA, AND CHECHNYA),AND
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES (IRAQ, MEPP, WESTERN BALKANS,
AFGHANISTAN AND CYPRUS),TO BE FOLLOWED BY A JOINT PRESS
CONFERENCE. THE EU SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A
COMMUNIQUE SINCE TIME WAS BETTER USED DISCUSSING PRACTICAL
ISSUES RATHER THAN IN DRAFTING. (COMMENT: RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR
TO DUBLIN RAKHMANIN TOLD AMBASSADOR MAY 19 THAT HE WAS NOT
GOING TO MOSCOW FOR THE SUMMIT SINCE THE AGENDA WAS A SHORT
ONE AND NO BILATERAL ISSUES WERE ON IT.)


7. (C) JONES SAID THE EU WILL PRESS HARD FOR MORE POSITIVE
RUSSIAN ENGAGEMENT "IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD." SHE NOTED THAT THE
MAY 18 EU DEMARCHE IN MOSCOW URGING RUSSIAN SUPPORT FOR
FIVE-SIDED TALKS ON MOLDOVA GOT NOWHERE, BUT THAT THE EU
WOULD AGAIN RAISE THIS ISSUE DURING THE SUMMIT, SUGGESTING TO
THE RUSSIANS THAT THE BEST PLACE TO BEGIN EU-RUSSIAN
COOPERATION WOULD BE IN NEIGHBORING AREAS. NO ONE EXPECTS
ANY BREAKTHROUGHS, BUT THE EU WILL RESTATE THE CASE ON A WIDE
VARIETY OF ISSUES, INCLUDING CHECHNYA, HUMAN RIGHTS AND NEED
FOR A DEMOCRATIC OPEN RUSSIA. THE EU WILL ALSO URGE RUSSIA
TO NORMALIZE ITS BORDERS WITH THE BALTICS AND AGREE TO EXPAND
MEMBERSHIP IN THE VARIOUS EXPORT CONTROL REGIMES TO INCLUDE
THE NEW EU STATES. JONES SAID SHE EXPECTED THE RUSSIANS WILL
RESPOND BY RAISING MINORITY RIGHTS IN THE BALTICS AND
RESTATING THEIR POLICY VIS-A-VIS EXPANDING EXPORT CONTROL
REGIMES OF EXAMINING EACH REQUEST ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.

BIG NEWS WILL BE WTO AND KYOTO, IF MAY 20 TALKS SUCCEED
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8. (5) IF THE MAY 20 TRADE TALKS BETWEEN EU TRADE
COMMISSIONER LAMY AND THE RUSSIANS ARE SUCCESSFUL (AND LAMY
REPORTEDLY GAVE A VERY POSITIVE READ-OUT TO THE MAY 17
GAERC),JONES FELT THE BIG HEADLINE OUT OF THE MOSCOW SUMMIT
WOULD BE ON PROGESS TOWARD RUSSIAN WTO MEMBERSHIP AND RELATED
(NOT LINKED) PROGRESS ON RUSSIAN SIGNATURE OF THE KYOTO
ACCORD.

U.S. - EU COOPERATION ON RUSSIA
--------------

9. (C) CONCLUDING, JONES EXPRESSED HER APPRECIATION FOR THE
EXCELLENT WORKING-LEVEL COOPERATION SHE HAS ENJOYED WITH HER
U.S. COLLEAGUES IN WASHINGTON AND ELSEWHERE, WHICH SHE FOUND
INVALUABLE, AND HOPED IT WOULD CONTINUE UNDER THE DUTCH
PRESIDENCY.
KENNY