MINIKES IN YEREVAN: ENGAGE WITH THE OSCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001822

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/SNEC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV AM
SUBJECT: MINIKES IN YEREVAN: ENGAGE WITH THE OSCE

Classified By: CDA A.F. Godfrey for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) In a series of intense meetings with nearly all of
Armenia's top-level leaders, USOSCE Ambassador Stephan M.
Minikes called for Armenia to engage with the OSCE to make
sure the organization suits the country's needs, and not to
carp from the sidelines, eroding OSCE basic principles.
Minikes pressed for further engagement with the Minsk Group;
resolution of regional conflicts would do more for Armenia's
economy than any assistance program. In a wide-ranging
discussion with the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Minikes
urged Armenia to find its place in Europe. End Summary.

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WHERE IS ARMENIA GOING?
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2. (SBU) During a brief visit to Armenia from August 11 to
13, USOSCE Ambassador Minikes met with Deputy Speaker of the
National Assembly Vahan Hovhanissyan, Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian and President Robert Kocharian. He also met with a
group of Armenia's opposition leaders and with the OSCE
Mission in Armenia. In all of his meetings, Ambassador
Minikes stressed the importance of engaging the OSCE to
ensure the organization's actions meet Armenia's needs. He
told Armenia's leaders that the "unhelpful" statement which
came out of the Moscow CIS Summit sought to erode the
organization's principles and, hence, was unacceptable.


3. (C) In an extended, frank meeting with the Foreign
minister, Ambassador Minikes encouraged Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian to "make your voices heard" more as a part of
the international community and to use the OSCE to attain
"the goals you've established for yourself." The Ambassador
then asked, "Where is Armenia going?" Oskanian, agreeing
that the Caucasus has to "belong somewhere," argued that "the
only possible place (Armenia) can belong is in Europe."
Oskanian noted that all of Armenia's historical and cultural
roots are in Europe, and that it was only logical that
Armenia should work closely with the Council of Europe (CoE)
and the European Union (EU). Eventually, Oskanian told the
Ambassador, "We want to belong to the EU."

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"COMPLEMENTARITY" IS KEY
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4. (C) The essence of Armenia's foreign policy, according to
Oskanian, is "complementarity." Armenians are smart enough,
he commented, to "choose between a good apple and a bad
apple" but Armenians are also "smart enough to know which is
the available apple." Geography is a clear limitation,
Oskanian argued, and Armenia will not put itself into a
position where it must "choose between Russia and the U.S."
Clearly Armenia is a Western country, Oskanian maintained,
and Armenia's preferences lie in the West. Armenia's
direction and post-Soviet development confirm that it is
growing closer to the West, and he noted the importance of
Armenia becoming a beneficiary of the process of expanding
the EU.

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THE U.S. AND EU SHOULD URGE TURKEY TO OPEN THE BORDER
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5. (C) Lamenting that he doesn't think "Powell or Armitage
raise the Turkey issue forcefully enough," Oskanian noted
that as long as the border with Turkey is closed Armenia will
have to maintain its current close relationship with Russia.
Turkey's eventual accession to the EU, he said, would be "the
best thing that ever happened to Armenia," -- as long as the
EU does not "cut corners" but insists that Turkey have normal
ties with all of its neighbors including opening its border
with Armenia. Oskanian claimed that when he first met with
Turkish FM Gul he saw "genuine acceptance" of the possibility
for an open border, but that the Azeris had scuttled any
possibility of de-linking settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and opening the border.

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RUSSIAN INFLUENCE: "NYET" ON EU; "DA" ON NATO
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6. (C) Emphasizing Armenian foreign policy's independence
from Russia on any issues that involve the EU, Oskanian noted
that, "Russia doesn't have a say on EU; but on NATO I would
listen. On NATO, because of our military cooperation with
Russia and the Russian bases, we have to be more considerate."
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WESTERN INSTITUTIONS "GUIDED US"
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7. (SBU) Oskanian emphasized the importance of the OSCE and
CoE in the immediate post-Soviet period, noting that the
institutions "guided us" as Armenia was redefining itself as
a democracy and reorienting itself toward the West. Oskanian
clearly values the role the OSCE and CoE play as they help
keep reforms on track in Armenia.

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KOCHARIAN PESSIMISTIC ON N-K
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8. (C) Ambassador Minikes' exchange with President Kocharian
was cordial and lasted more than an hour. Kocharian defended
his decision to sign the CIS-backed statement, and complained
at length about "slanted" OSCE election monitoring. He
seemed unable to leave the subject of what criteria ODIHR
employed in making judgements about whether or not Armenia's
elections met "standards" and complained that Armenia was
never given any. "What standards," he kept asking.
Ambassador Minikes said that Armenia's OSCE Vienna delegation
was quite experto on OSCE matters and could get very clear
answers to the President's questions but nonetheless offered
to facilicate getting ODIHR to be more transparent if,
indeed, that was desired by Armenia, and needed. Kocharian
resisted going into detail on the status of discussions on
N-K, but was broadly pessimistic about near-term prospects.
In response to the Ambassador's questions, President
Kocharian said that Aliyev is not committed to the peace
process, "Aliyev the son does not have enough of the
statesman in him" to reach a settlement now or in the
immediate future. "It just won't happen" now, said
Kocharian. "Maybe someday," he added.


9. (U) Ambassador Minikes has cleared this telegram.
GODFREY