NATO SECRETARY GENERAL VISITS YEREVAN

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002461

SIPDIS

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL AM NATO
SUBJECT: NATO SECRETARY GENERAL VISITS YEREVAN


Information is sensitive but unclassified. Please treat
accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary: During a brief visit to Yerevan on
November 5, the NATO Secretary General encouraged Armenia to
continue to develop its cooperation with the Alliance,
introduced NATO's new special representative to the region
and explained that NATO is not in competition with any other
organization and does not seek to diminish the Russian
Federation's role in the region. In his meeting with
President Kocharian, the SYG got a discouraging brief on the
current state of negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) On November 5, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer visited Armenia for six hours. The SYG met with
with President Kocharian, Foreign Minister Oskanian and
Defense Minister Sargsian and addressed a group of students
at Yerevan State University. Press coverage of the SYG's
visit was factual and generally positive.

NATO "Not in Competition with Russia"
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3. (SBU) In a briefing to NATO Ambassadors accredited in
Armenia, the SYG said that in all of his meetings and in his
public remarks, he urged closer cooperation with NATO while
at the same time underscored that NATO is not in competition
with any other organization or country for influence in the
South Caucasus. The SYG introduced Robert Simmons as his new
Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central
Asia.

Armenia's IPAP Won't Be Ready for EAPC Ministerial
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4. (SBU) The SYG said that President Kocharian declared his
commitment to complete its draft of Armenia's Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) quickly. Kocharian asked for
NATO's guidance in defining priorities for the plan, but the
SYG demurred; it was up to Armenia to define its goals for
its relationship with the Alliance, not the other way around.
While the GOAM said it was taking the IPAP process
seriously, the SYG said it did not seem to understand the
complexity of the task. The SYG urged Armenia to consult
with NATO International Staff experts through the Planning
and Review Process. Special Rep Simmons said that while
Armenia hoped to present its IPAP in time for the December 9
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Commission (EAPC) ministerial, this
goal was unrealistic. Azerbaijan is further along, Simmons
added, and would likely complete this process in time for the
December Ministerial.

Outlook "Gloomy" on N-K
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5. (SBU) The SYG said that Kocharian briefed him on the
current state of play in negotiations on N-K and gave a
"gloomy analysis" of prospects for the near term. Kocharian
claimed that in light of Azerbaijan's actions at the UNGA, he
could no longer represent N-K. Kocharian characterized his
September meeting in Astana with President Aliyev as
productive, but regretted that follow-on now seemed unlikely.
The SYG told NATO Ambassadors that President Aliyev had
described the Astana meeting as having "not much content and
no follow-up" in a meeting earlier in the day in Baku.
EVANS