Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04YEREVAN633
2004-03-17 09:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Yerevan
Cable title:  

DELEGATIONS ENCOURAGE INCREASED ARMENIAN

Tags:  PGOV AM AJ NATO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000633 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/CACEN, PM
USNATO FOR POL
SECDEF FOR ISP/NATO POLICY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2014
TAGS: PGOV AM AJ NATO
SUBJECT: DELEGATIONS ENCOURAGE INCREASED ARMENIAN
ENGAGEMENT WITH NATO PFP

REF: A) STATE 44628 B) 03 STATE 325116 C) YEREVAN 615

Classified By: Ambassador John Ordway for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

-------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000633

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/CACEN, PM
USNATO FOR POL
SECDEF FOR ISP/NATO POLICY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2014
TAGS: PGOV AM AJ NATO
SUBJECT: DELEGATIONS ENCOURAGE INCREASED ARMENIAN
ENGAGEMENT WITH NATO PFP

REF: A) STATE 44628 B) 03 STATE 325116 C) YEREVAN 615

Classified By: Ambassador John Ordway for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) An interagency delegation met with the Deputy
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense March 11 to outline
a United States proposal to shift the focus of NATO
Partnership for Peace (PfP) activities to the Caucasus and
Central Asia. The delegation also discussed the necessity to
reach a compromise with Azerbaijan over the NATO PfP
Cooperative Best Effort 04 exercises with the GOAM officials.
Two visiting professors from the National Defense
University also visited Yerevan March 10-11 to discuss
enhanced NATO PfP activities with GOAM officials. END
SUMMARY.

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DELEGATIONS PROMOTE INCREASED NATO FOCUS IN CAUCASUS
-------------- --------------


2. (C) An interagency delegation including Eric Schultz
(Deputy Director, EUR/RPM),Bruce Rogers (Deputy Polad,
USNATO),and Dennis Skocz (OSD, NATO Policy Office) met with
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tatul Margarian and Deputy
Minister of Defense Artur Aghabekian March 11 to discuss and
solicit Armenia's support for the U.S. proposed shift in PfP
focus to the Caucasus and Central Asia regions (refs A and
B). The delegation sought to gain Armenia's support for a
regional NATO liaison office that could better shape NATO PfP
programs to Armenia's needs, encourage defense reform, and
promote greater military interoperability with NATO forces.
The delegation also encouraged the GOAM officials to reach a
compromise with Azerbaijan over the continuing dispute over
the upcoming Cooperative Best Effort 2004 (CBE 04) exercises
to be held in Azerbaijan. The delegation relayed a
compromise proposed by Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister
Araz Azimov, whereby Azerbaijan would allow two Armenian
officers to attend the conference as "participants" in
another country's military unit, and urged Margarian and
Aghabekian to give it full consideration.


3. (SBU) National Defense University professors Dr. Eugene
Rumer and Dr. Jeffrey Simon also visited Yerevan March 10-11

to discuss ways to make the Partnership for Peace program
more relevant to the countries of the South Caucasus and
Central Asia and solicited advice on how NATO can modify the
PfP program to address the new global security environment.
Rumer and Simon met with Margarian and Aghabekian, as well as
Mher Shadelghian, Chairman of the National Assembly's Defense
Committee.

-------------- --------------
USG DELEGATION SOLICITS GOAM OPINIONS ON PFP AND CBE 04
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Margarian told the USG delegation that the GOAM
supported the U.S. proposal for a strategic shift in PfP,
saying that Armenia had been in favor of such an approach for
over a year. He said Armenia not only favored closer ties
with NATO but was also interested in membership someday and
in that regard was prepared to work seriously on the
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). He said Armenia
would welcome a NATO liaison office in the Caucasus,
preferably one in-country, which would more effectively meet
Armenia's needs. Margarian said that if a regional office
was established in Tbilisi, he would expect its staff to
spend approximately equal time every month in Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Margarian further suggested that
the United States and NATO better define what is meant by
"increased engagement" with the region. He said he
understood that it is important to begin a "process" of
cooperation but that his colleagues in the MOD and elsewhere
in the GOAM take these proposals very seriously, and would
require an explanation of what concrete programs and
initiatives would be included.


5. (C) Margarian initially said Armenia would stick to PfP
principles and continue to press for full participation in
CBE 04. He reminded the delegation that Armenia had extended
an invitation to Azerbaijan to participate in the CBE 03
hosted in Armenia, and had accepted Turkish soldiers as
participants in the same exercises, both politically
difficult decisions to take. Margarian pointed out that NATO
was a possible forum to bring the two countries together, but
Azerbaijan continued to resist any cooperation and seemed
intent on excluding Armenia from NATO and PfP. (Note.
Margarian made the same argument in a meeting with a
delegation from the United States Air War College the
previous week. End Note.) Margarian acknowledged Schultz's
point that if the exercises were canceled, no one would win
and that other NATO allies might use the failure of CBE 04 as
a reason to oppose further cooperation with the region,
including other PfP exercises. Margarian said the decision
would rest with the MOD, noting that they would need to be
convinced to send two officers rather than five to seven.

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MOD OFFERS COUNTER-PROPOSAL ON CBE 04
--------------


6. (C) Deputy Defense Minister Artur Aghabekian emphasized
that cooperation with NATO under the PfP program is one of
the key elements of Armenia's security strategy. Addressing
concerns that Armenia is not as active as other countries in
PfP, Aghabekian noted that Armenia prefers to take time to
review thoroughly the feasibility of an endeavor prior to
committing to action. This is one reason why Armenia signed
up for NATO's Planning and Review Process (PARP) later than
its neighbors. Armenia also had to deal with a society that
has always identified NATO with Turkey and committing to
closer ties with NATO was not necessarily a popular decision
in Armenia. This same deliberative process is underway
concerning Armenia's first Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP),but that Armenia did plan to submit one in the near
future. Aghabekian stated that he understood NATO's logic in
placing the first office in Tbilisi and he believed this
would be a good first step toward regional cooperation.


7. (C) Regarding CBE 04, Aghabekian stated that Armenia would
not agree to being limited to observer status for the
exercise, since Armenia had allowed Turkish participation in
Yerevan last year. At a reception later in the evening,
Aghabekian informed DAO that Armenia could accept sending
three officers to the exercise as participants (see reftel C.)

-------------- --------------
NDU PROFESSORS SEEK PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE PFP PROGRAM
-------------- --------------


8. (C) While meeting with Professors Rumer and Simon, neither
Margarian nor Aghabekian offered any concrete proposals for
improving the PfP program, but each stated that PfP remains
the only viable forum for advancing cooperation in the
region. When asked about the possibility of Armenia
supporting a Greater Black Sea Ministerial process, neither
Margarian nor Aghabekian showed any particular interest
toward the idea, but both stated that they would not be
opposed to such an initiative and that any new initiatives
would be examined on their merits. Both emphasized that
Armenia views PfP as the best method of pursuing regional
security through cooperative programs. Shadelghian and
Aghabekian felt that regional cooperation should be pursued
in the area of crisis response/disaster management.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


9. (C) The visit of the USG and NDU delegations provided GOAM
officials with an opportunity to discuss their commitment to
enhancing cooperative efforts with NATO through the PfP
framework. The GOAM seems firmly behind initiatives to
expand on their NATO relationship, though officials still
seek further elucidation on what PfP's "strategic shift"
means and entails for Armenia. Importantly, the GOAM seems
willing to step back from some of its rhetoric over the CBE
04 exercises and accept a compromise solution that allows the
Azerbaijani government to save some face. Furthermore, the
MFA and MOD also seem willing to move past the February 18
Budapest murder, and fully engage in PfP activities.


10. (U) RPM: Eric Schultz_ has cleared this telegram.

ORDWAY