ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK; FEBRUARY 20

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000280

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2016
TAGS: EAGR KFLU EAID PGOV ASEC CASC AJ
SUBJECT: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK; FEBRUARY 20
AVIAN FLU MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE

REF: BAKU 257

Classified By: Ambassador Reno L. Harnish III per 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: At a February 20 briefing for the
diplomatic corps on avian influenza, Azerbaijani Minister of
Agriculture Abbasov reviewed the steps the GOAJ has taken and
reported that the GOAJ's revised action plan had been
submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers. Abbasov said the GOAJ
now has the capability to test AI samples in Azerbaijan, a
capability USAID experts dispute. The Minister also
distributed a list of items the GOAJ says it needs to fight
AI, most of which are capital investments for the overhaul of
labs and are not required to manage the AI outbreak.
Ambassador and other diplomats pressed the GOAJ to conduct
quarantines, address poultry producers directly, and run a
public awareness campaign. Unfortunately, Deputy Prime
Minister Abbasov (chair of the newly established AI
committee) has criticized USG-produced public service
announcements on AI, instructing the Ministry of Health that
PSAs must focus on the message that the "situation is under
control." The GOAJ still is not taking AI seriously;
Ambassador will seek an opportunity to raise this issue with
Presidential Chief of Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) At a February 20 briefing for the diplomatic corps
on Avian Influenza (AI),Minister of Agriculture Abbasov
reviewed the steps that Azerbaijan has taken over the past
year to deal with AI, including the ban of poultry from
countries where confirmed cases of the H5N1 virus had
occurred. Additionally, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
has recently dedicated USD 760,000 (3.8 billion Azeri Manats)
from the State Oil Fund to the AI issue, some of which was
used to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and
veterinary drugs. Abbasov also reported that the recently
established "State Committee for Preventing Avian Influenza"
had submitted a new action plan to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The plan would not be available for review by the
international community until the relevant line ministries
have commented on the plan.


3. (SBU) Abbasov was quick to thank the international
community and particularly the U.S. embassy in facilitating
the testing of 54 samples of suspected AI fowl cases at the
Waybridge laboratory in the UK. Abbasov said that Azerbaijan
now has a PCR testing machine which will more easily
facilitate the testing of samples in Azerbaijan, and reported
that two Azerbaijani experts have received international
training and are able to use the machinery. (NOTE:
Specialists from USAID who have met and worked with these
specialists insist that they are not able to properly run the
PCR equipment. END NOTE.) Abbasov then continued to outline
the organizational structure of the Veterinary Service in
Azerbaijan, and highlighted the poor condition of the
Azerbaijani Veterinary Service due to Azerbaijan's
"recession" after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Abbasov
appealed to the assembled ambassadors for aid in rebuilding
laboratories and providing training for Azerbaijani
scientists abroad.


4. (SBU) Building on the point that the Azerbaijani
Veterinary Service needed rebuilding, the Minister
distributed a "wish list" of things that the Veterinary
Service is seeking the international community's help in
obtaining. While the two-page list was titled "Items which
are requested for the State Veterinary Service under the
Ministry of Agriculture for the fight against bird flu",
almost none of the items on the list had anything to do with
the many affirmative steps that have been urged by the
international community. In terms of "equipment," items on
the list included four PSR devices, 24 ELIZA-immune ferment
reaction devices, 2 mobile labs, 60 "DUC auto
transport-disinfection automobile of Kamarov", 50 Niva cars,
75 "26C" refrigerators, 75 pieces of lab furniture, 752
pieces of "buddy seat for district veterinary posts," 2,000
"special dresses for long term use," thousands of gloves,
shoe covers, head covers and test tubes, a semi-automatic
mud-guard, 10 tons of chlorinated lime, 5000 respirators, and
30 "incubators for 300-500 eggs." The second page contained

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a request for USD 8.2 million for the construction and/or
renovation of 30 State Veterinary Enterprises.


5. (SBU) During the question and answer session, several
diplomats including Ambassador Harnish asked questions or
delivered points about the need for proper quarantine,
sampling, testing, surveillance and public relations/public
awareness. Ambassador Harnish delivered three specific
points to the group, which post has been stressing to the
GOAJ for several weeks. First, the Ambassador stressed the
importance of an active surveillance program, noting that it
is not wise to wait for farmers to call the MOA to have their
dead birds tested; instead, the MOA needs to be engaged in
testing countrywide. Second, the GOAJ must address poultry
producers directly. As there are only 15 poultry producers
in Azerbaijan, the government needs to discuss culling and
inoculation of these flocks. Third, the Ambassador noted the
importance of a stepped up public relations campaign. This
is even more important given that fear of I is beginning to
affect the economy, with the price of eggs going down and the
price of non-poultry meat, such as beef and lamb increasing.
The Minister responded that these were important points, but
was reluctant to comment as the action plan was in the
coordination stage and implied that the action plan would
address these issues. The minister also stated that, as of
February 20, no place with confirmed cases of H5N1 had been
quarantined.


6. (C) The Turkish Ambassador made several statements at
the briefing that ran counter to post's and the international
community's message to the GOAJ. The Turkish Ambassador said
that AI was a many sided problem and was not a dangerous
disease for humans to contract. He stated that prophylactic
measures were simple and could be easily implemented should
it be necessary. Of the four people that died in Turkey,
they were children who died more from "ignorance" and "lack
of medical attention", because their parents did not get them
medical attention quickly enough. He continued that
prophylactic measures practiced "with a vengeance" were not
useful and only raised undue panic. Finally, if simple
measure are practiced, such as washing hands and wearing
gloves, the risk of AI would be greatly reduced. Most
interestingly, the Turkish Ambassador lamented that the only
real threat to commercial poultry was "domestic poultry in
the open" and that the "integrated poultry industries were
being decimated". Because of this he warned those present to
be careful about the kind of message they are sending out
because the "integrated poultry industry does not deserve
this." He further suggested that it would be useful to
"certify" certain poultry producers who were found to be safe.


7. (C) The international community's efforts to promote
public awareness through public service announcements hit a
roadblock in the form of Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov,
who also serves as chair of the newly established state
committee on AI (ref). While post has been successful in
getting one PSA which played frequently in both television
and radio, Abbasov has vetoed another PSA produced by UNICEF,
stating that the message focused too much on prevention.
Abbasov informed the Minister of Health that only messages
such as "the situation is fully under government control",
"no flu case among local chickens", and "let's not make a
panic in our community" were acceptable.


8. (C) COMMENT: After initial guarded optimism on February
17 with the creation of the State Committee on AI, it seems
the GOAJ still is not taking AI seriously. The GOAJ's wish
list for combating AI is essentially a capital improvement
plan for the State Veterinary Service and does not reflect
what is required to manage the current AI outbreak.
Ambassador plans to meet with Presidential Chief of Staff
Ramiz Mehdiyev to urge prompt GOAJ action. We also will
continue to press the GOAJ for quick release of the national
plan, so we can review and forward to Washington any
assistance needs. END COMMENT.
HARNISH