ARMENIANS UNITED IN PROTESTING USG STATEMENT THAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 000084 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2014 TAGS: PREL PGOV AM SUBJECT: ARMENIANS UNITED IN PROTESTING USG STATEMENT THAT N-K IS "CRIMINALLY SECESSIONIST" Classified By: Amb. John M. Evans for reasons 1.4 (b, d). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) The Armenian body politic has come together to protest Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Jones' comments on Nagorno-Karabakh as reported in the January 14 edition of the Moscow Times. The story dominated media coverage on a day when the other big news in the bilateral relationship was the send-off for GOAM contribution to Coalition efforts in Iraq (septel). GOAM officials expressed private dismay at what they referred to as unfortunate timing and objected strongly to the characterization of "criminal secessionists." In addition to press and television commentaries condemning A/S Jones' statement (media reaction septel),students and the youth wings of both opposition and governing coalition political parties protested against the comments. End Summary. -------------- TIMING UNFORTUNATE -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador met privately with Minister of Defense Serzh Sargsian and spoke to Deputy Foreign Minister Tatul Markarian to address GOAM concerns, highlighting A/S Jones' full statements. Despite their public restraint, MFA Americas Desk Officer Lilit Toutkhalian told us that senior GOAM officials viewed A/S Jones' comments as a slap in the face, and were complaining privately that they had taken the unpopular step to send troops to Iraq "for nothing." Some, she continued, were so emotional as to assert that the U.S. was behaving in an "ungrateful manner." -------------- WELL-ORGANIZED PROTEST WITH BROAD SUPPORT -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Students and young party activists from more than thirty groups and representing all the major government and opposition parties protested against A/S Jones' statement in front of the Embassy January 19. Despite inclement weather, roughly 1000 young protesters gathered at Opera Square and marched up the street to protest in front of the Embassy at 1:00 p.m. local time. The students were well-organized, with professional-quality banners in English and Armenian saying, "Shame on Elizabeth Jones," "Karabagh: Democracy, Peace and Freedom," "Keep Your Hands Off a Free Karabakh," and "No Double Standard." The protesters, aged 16 to 26, were energetic and mostly male, taking advantage of the fresh snow to throw snowballs at each other and playing to the television cameras. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (C) The coincidence of the departure of the Armenian non-combatant contingent to Iraq, which produced excellent local media coverage and the report in the Moscow Times was unfortunate, and has produced a negative public and official reaction that we will have to deal with; however, the essentially strong relationship that the United States and Armenia enjoy -- and such facts as that the United States, provides humanitarian assistance to Karabakh -- will enable us to weather this storm. The Ambassador found that even Defense Minister Sargsian, an ardent Karabakhi, was mollified when he saw the full text of Assistant Secretary Jones' video conference and had it pointed out to him that it was the secessionist areas bordering on Russia that were at the center of her attention. EVANS