Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAKU980
2006-07-06 13:59:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baku
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM ENRG EPET ETRD IZ AJ 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000980 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ENRG EPET ETRD IZ AJ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER
MAMMADYAROV

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000980

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ENRG EPET ETRD IZ AJ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER
MAMMADYAROV

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


1. (C) Summary: During the Ambassador's July 3 introductory
call, Foreign Minister Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan would need
U.S. help to secure access to European gas markets and
develop a new Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. Noting the dangers
of over-reliance on the energy sector, the Ambassador urged
Azerbaijan to continue political and economic reform, moving
quickly toward WTO accession. Mammadyarov was cautious on
both fronts, arguing that both the WTO and democracy would
require time. Separately, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan, as
Chair of the OIC Foreign Minister's Conference, is playing a
moderating role and had toned-down anti-Israel items in the
UN Human Rights Council. Mammadyarov wants the OIC to lend
support to the Government of Iraq, by opening an office in
Baghdad and supporting Iraq's security and law enforcement
agencies. Admittedly still vague on the details, Mammadyarov
said he hoped to involve Pakistan and Malaysia, and plans to
make concrete proposals at the OIC Ministerial during UNGA.
Finally, the Ambassador urged Azerbaijan to support
Guatemala's candidacy for the UN Security Council.
Mammadyarov was noncommittal, explaining that he needed to
find out whether Azerbaijan had exchanged support with
Venezuela on issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh. End
summary.


2. (C) Ambassador Derse paid an introductory call on Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on July 3, just prior to the
presentation of her credentials to President Aliyev. The
Ambassador reviewed U.S. priorities for the bilateral
relationship: cooperation in the war on terror and
strengthening regional and global security, global energy
security, and reform. Mammadyarov agreed that President
Aliyev's April visit to Washington laid the groundwork for a
strengthened bilateral relationship, and said he looked
forward to working with the Ambassador at this "important

time." At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador reiterated
our interest in building a New Embassy Compound and told
Mammadyarov she would seek President Aliyev's help in
resolving two problems in the options offered by the
Government of Azerbaijan. Mammadyarov pledged to assist the
Embassy in resolving these problems.

--------------
ENERGY SECURITY
--------------


3. (C) Mammadyarov, who had just returned from Finland, said
he believes new EU President Finland will be "very positive"
on the question of increasing Caspian gas exports to Europe.
In general, Mammadyarov said, Austria and the Balkans also
have been very supportive, while the Greeks and Italians are
"a little hesitant." Completion of the Nabucco deal will be
critical, according to Mammadyarov. Over the next five to
ten years, Mammadyarov believes Europe will make the switch
from Iranian natural gas supplies to Azerbaijani gas
supplies. He said that he tells EU leaders that Azerbaijan
is not in competition with the Russians for European markets.
Gazprom, he said, can provide 150-170 bcma, while Azerbaijan
is contemplating sale of 30-40 bcma to Europe. Mammadyarov
will discuss energy issues with German officials later this
week; he promised to brief the Ambassador following his
return from Germany.


4. (C) Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan will need political
help from the United States in order to secure access to
European markets. Investors will not act without political
commitments. Mammadyarov told the Ambassador that Azerbaijan
had pledged to EUR DAS Bryza that it would accelerate its
negotiations with the Greeks to bring Azerbaijani gas into
the TGI connector; a team would depart for Greece later this
week. In Azerbaijan's view, now is the time for the
Europeans to make a choice.


5. (C) Similarly, Azerbaijan will need strong U.S. support
to pursue a Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. Some of the Caspian
littoral states, Mammadyarov noted, do not approve of the
initiative. Yet Azerbaijan will pursue this initiative in
spite of the opposition. It is part of Azerbaijan's national
strategy to become both an energy producing and a transport
nation, Mammadyarov said.

--------------

BAKU 00000980 002 OF 002


REFORM
--------------


6. (C) Cautioning Mammadyarov of the destabilizing impact,
both economic and political, of massive energy revenues, the
Ambassador urged Azerbaijan to continue its program of
political and economic reform, and move quickly toward WTO
accession. Mammadyarov responded that Azerbaijan faces many
challenges in its non-energy sectors, particularly
agriculture, and for this reason, must be careful about WTO
accession. Similarly, while Azerbaijan is committed to
political reform, Mammadyarov views democracy as a
"generational issue" that will take time to complete. For
this reason, the GOAJ is putting a great deal of emphasis on
education, particularly in areas outside of Baku. Democracy,
Mammadyarov said, requires an investment in human capital.

--------------
AZERBAIJAN AND THE OIC
--------------


7. (C) Noting that Azerbaijan was taking on an increasingly
important role in the international arena, the Ambassador
told Mammadyarov that the U.S. was looking forward to working
closely with Azerbaijan in its capacity as Chair of the OIC
Foreign Ministers Conference and as a member of the UN Human
Rights Council. However, the U.S. was disappointed with
OIC-led actions at the June 30 session of the UN Human Rights
Council that resulted in the adoption of several anti-Israeli
items. Mammadyarov said that the Government of Azerbaijan
understood the U.S. position and had tried to play a
moderating role within the OIC. The first OIC drafts (put
forward by Syria) were "very bad," Mammadyarov said, and
Azerbaijan had worked very hard to "calm" the situation.
However, Azerbaijan faced a lot of opposition within the OIC,
and had been severely criticized for its decision to abstain
on a previous vote on the Third Geneva Convention.


8. (C) Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan also hoped to use its
Chairmanship of the OIC Foreign Ministers Conference to lend
support to the new Government of Iraq. As a first step, the
OIC will open an office in Baghdad. In the longer term,
Azerbaijan hopes to build support within the OIC for Iraq's
security and law enforcement agencies. Mammadyarov said he
was still mulling the possibility of OIC-sanctioned military
involvement in Iraq, and had asked the Secretariat to
consider the idea. However, he did not see any of Iraq's
neighbors playing a role; instead, he would like to see
countries such as Malaysia and Pakistan take on more
responsibilities within Iraq, on behalf of the OIC.
Mammadyarov expected to make further progress on this at the
next OIC Ministerial during the UNGA in New York. He
commented that Iran had been supportive of the idea, with
Iranian FM Mottaki telling his OIC colleagues that they
should not allow "criminals" to perpetrate atrocities in
Iraq. (Comment: We would appreciate guidance with respect
to Azerbaijan's plans for OIC involvement in Iraq.)

--------------
GUATEMALA AND THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
--------------


9. (C) Finally, the Ambassador urged Azerbaijan to support
Guatemala's candidacy for the UN Security Council.
Mammadyarov, who said he did not follow Security Council
issues in great detail, pledged to check into the issue in
New York. However, Azerbaijan as a practice exchanges
support with other countries; Mammadyarov told the Ambassador
that if there had been an exchange of support with Venezuela,
he would have to abide by that pledge. (Comment: Securing
support for its position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is
Azerbaijan's chief foreign policy goal. It frequently trades
away votes on issues deemed to be of lesser importance in
exchange for pledges of support on N-K. We will follow up
with the MFA to determine whether an exchange has been made
with Venezuela.)
DERSE