AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON MINISTER OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 001001

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MASS PINR AM AJ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON MINISTER OF
DEFENSE ABIYEV

REF: BAKU 991

Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse; reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: During the Ambassador's July 7 introductory
call, Minister of Defense General-Colonel Safar Abiyev
stressed that the U.S.-Azerbaijani relationship is both
strategic and special and that U.S. assistance has allowed
Azerbaijan to integrate closer with the West. The Minister
was pleased with the close military-to-military cooperation
between the two countries, and looks forward to realizing the
NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan that Azerbaijan
adopted last year. When asked, he promised to assist in
clearing up legal issues to allow the U.S. to help Azerbaijan
secure its maritime borders under the Weapons of Mass
Destruction Proliferation Prevention Initiative. He also
expressed significant disagreement with the U.S policy
regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly U.S.
limitations on security assistance. The Minister stated that
the OSCE Minsk Group is ineffective and that Azerbaijan does
not expect any positive results from it. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) During her July 7 introductory call on Minister of
Defense Safar Abiyev, the Ambassador reviewed the U.S.
priorities for the bilateral relationship: global and
regional security, energy security, and democratic and
economic reform. The Ambassador emphasized that the April
meeting between President Aliyev and President Bush had laid
the
groundwork to broaden the U.S.-Azerbaijani relationship,
and said that she looks forward to working with the
Azerbaijani government and people in these areas. The
Ambassador thanked the Minister for Azerbaijan's
contributions to military operations in Afghanistan,
Kosovo, and Iraq, noting that Azerbaijan was one of the
first countries to offer support to America after the
tragic events of September 11, 2001. The Ambassador
emphasized that the U.S. recognizes the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and supports a peaceful,
negotiated resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
as the resumption of hostilities would be disastrous
for the entire region.


3. (C) The Ambassador also complimented Azerbaijan's NATO
Individual Partnership Action Plan and ongoing efforts to
increase interoperability with NATO. She urged the Minister
to move forward expeditiously, such as by upgrading one
airbase to NATO standards. Emphasizing U.S. support for
Azerbaijan's efforts to improve its WMD interdiction
capabilities, the Ambassador urged the Minister to provide a
letter that clearly designates the Azerbaijani Navy as an
implementing executive agent for the Weapons of Mass
Destruction Proliferation Prevention Initiative (ref). The
Minister was surprised to hear that this letter had not been
sent already by the Cabinet of Ministers, and instructed his
staff to take action to resolve this immediately.


4. (C) The Minister congratulated the Ambassador on her
appointment, and wished her success in her endeavors. He
thanked the U.S. for its support and assistance from 1994
onward, noting that without this assistance, Azerbaijan's
independence would not have been assured. He said that this
is why Azerbaijan was one of the first states to offer its
support to the United States after the attacks on September
11, 2001. Stressing that the relationship between Azerbaijan
and the United States is both strategic and special, he also
expressed gratitude for U.S. leadership and assistance in
establishing the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and helping
Azerbaijan work towards NATO integration, particularly
through the Partnership for Peace program. The Minister
agreed that President Aliyev's recent visit to the United
States underscored the close relationship between the two
countries.


5. (C) Abiyev said that Azerbaijan's troop contributions to
Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and in
Kosovo, are all examples of this close bilateral cooperation.
Azerbaijan's vigorous participation in the Partnership for
Peace program, adoption of the NATO Individual Partnership
Action Plan (IPAP) and progress toward those IPAP goals in
the form of the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy and
improving one airfield to NATO standards, are demonstrations
of Azerbaijan's commitment to closer integration with the
West. The Minister informed the Ambassador that the Ministry

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had just decided to ask for one permanent U.S. instructor to
help mentor students at the Non-Commissioned Officers
Academy.


6. (C) When pressed by the Ambassador on his vision of how
to achieve Azerbaijan's NATO IPAP goals, the Minister did not
express any details, but did reiterate the importance of
interoperability in general. When the Ambassador mentioned
that from recent briefings from the U.S. Department of
Defense she fully understands the U.S. desire to spur
completion of IPAP, such as by adopting a NATO-compatible
airfield, the Minister indicated that he was ready and that
he saw no real problems. He also stated that he would
discuss this with DASD McDougall, with whom he is good
friends, and who is supposed to visit him in the next few
months. The Ambassador offered to work vigorously with
Azerbaijan to strengthen the bilateral relationship.


7. (C) The Minister told the Ambassador that he is
dissatisfied by the international community's approach to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said he is particularly
dissatisfied by the U.S. policy of parity in security
assistance to both sides, particularly because Russia
provides significant amount of aid to Armenia. Abiyev stated
that although more then ten train echelons of Russian
equipment had been withdrawn from Georgia through Azerbaijan,
Azerbaijan knows that more than that is flowing into Armenia.
He said that he has information that Armenia continues to
receive significant amount of money from Russia to support
its military forces. Abiyev also noted that Armenia has
another close ally in Iran, which provides real assistance to
Armenia in all areas: economic, political, and military.


8. (C) Emphasizing his continued support for the
U.S.-Azerbaijani relationship, the Minister nevertheless said
he disagrees with U.S. policy on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. He alleged that the United States applies a
"double standard" towards Azerbaijan, even though the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Armenian occupation
of Azerbaijani territory are recognized internationally,
including by United Nations resolutions. The Minster argued
that the United States should apply the same standard as it
applies when defending the territorial integrity of Moldova,
Chechnya, and Abkhazia. He also stated that the United
States has a double standard by coming to the defense of
Kuwait and Bosnia-Herzegovina when they were occupied, but
not by defending Azerbaijan. He believes that this Armenian
occupation is a fundamental issue of human rights for all
displaced persons, much as it was in these other countries,
and that the United States has a double standard when it
comes to protecting human rights.


9. (C) The Minister asserted that Azerbaijanis see the U.S.
&double standards8 as rooted in the fact that Azerbaijan is
a Muslim nation, while Armenia is Christian. He said that he
was surprised by and did not understand the U.S. decision to
recognize Armenian progress toward democracy by granting it
Millennium Challenge Account assistance, arguing that
Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan,s territory undercut its
democratic credentials. The Minister stated that Azerbaijan
is not satisfied with the work of the OSCE Mins Group, and
does not expect any positive results from it. Abiyev told
the Ambassador that "Azerbaijan will never part with one
square centimeter of its territory."
DERSE