Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HELSINKI1148
2006-11-09 14:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Helsinki
Cable title:
AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PM VANHANEN
how-toVZCZCXYZ0018 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHHE #1148 3131441 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 091441Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2734 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0729 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 4710
C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 001148
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ETRD ENRG EUN FI RU UP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PM VANHANEN
Classified By: AMBASSADOR WARE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 001148
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ETRD ENRG EUN FI RU UP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PM VANHANEN
Classified By: AMBASSADOR WARE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Ambassador Ware met with Prime Minister Matti
Vanhanen Nov.8. Fresh from having recently hosted the
EU-Ukraine Summit and the EU Heads of State/Government
informals in Lahti (which included dinner with Russian
President Putin),Vanhanen provided additional insights
on Putin's Russia; energy security; and Ukraine's
European perspectives.
My Dinner with Vladimir -- Vanhanen's Take
--------------
2. (C) Press coverage and diplomatic reporting have
offered dramatically different versions of how the
atmospherics at the EU Heads of State/Government dinner
with Putin unfolded, and Vanhanen was eager to share his
version of events with the Ambassador. Vanhanen openly
acknowledged some Member States' (MS) criticisms of the
way in which he and Commission President Barroso had
"managed" the conversation with Putin. However, the PM
emphasized, the EU had learned a clear lesson from the
2002 Heads of State meeting with President Bush in
Sweden. At that meeting, all 27 MS took the floor to
deliver messages to President Bush, creating a situation
in which the meeting quickly lost focus and much of its
usefulness for both sides. In this case with Putin,
Vanhanen and Barroso sought to allow a limited number of
MS to take the floor on some issues, while at the same
time tightening the format and managing debate, as the
EU had done during President Bush's trip to Brussels in
2005. Just as better results were achieved in Brussels,
Vanhanen said the Lahti meeting went more smoothly.
3. (C) That said, the EU still addressed some of the
tough topics. German Chancellor Merkel, who sat next to
Putin at dinner, specifically raised the murder of
journalist Anna Politkovskaya on behalf of the EU.
Reports on Merkel's role have varied, but Vanhanen was
clear that she spoke directly. Poland was "very
outspoken" on trade concerns and energy issues.
Vanhanen and Barroso also took the lead in discussing
energy security, human rights and the Frozen Conflicts -
- in particular Georgia.
Energy Security Themes
--------------
4. (C) Looking forward -- including toward the Nov. 24
EU-Russia Summit and, further on, to the handover to the
German Presidency -- Finland sees its role as trying to
build bridges between the EU and Russia, especially on
energy and trade. In addition to delivering a
negotiating mandate to the German Presidency for a new
EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA),
Vanhanen told the Ambassador that the Finns (and the
Germans) hope to "de-politicize the issues" between
Russia and certain EU member states (i.e., Poland and
the Balts),particularly on energy. Finland itself has
no bilateral energy problems with Moscow, having
carefully managed its direct energy imports from Russia
for more than 60 years to avoid dependence. However, he
emphasized, the Finns understand that they can help play
both a leadership and an honest broker role in helping
the overall EU-Russia energy relationship improve. That
said, there is a long way to go, to be sure. According
to Vanhanen, Putin's efforts to re-exert tight control
over Gazprom and the rest of the Russian energy
apparatus have made him suspicious of foreign companies,
even though he intellectually understands how badly the
sector needs foreign investment. Putin feels or has
been told that he has made mistakes ceding too much
influence to outside investors. Vanhanen said that
major "private companies can't get any answers" or even
reach anyone in the government regarding their energy
investments.
Ukraine
--------------
5. (C) Briefly touching on Ukraine in the wake of the
Oct. 27 EU-Ukraine Summit, Vanhanen said that EU
membership was still a long way off. However, the EU
must continue to emphasize positively Ukraine's European
perspectives, and in that regard should quickly work
toward a bilateral EU-Ukraine free trade arrangement.
PM Yanukovich's return has weakened President
Yushchenko, Vanhanen suggested, making it all the more
important that the EU "keep Ukraine leaning west."
WARE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ETRD ENRG EUN FI RU UP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PM VANHANEN
Classified By: AMBASSADOR WARE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Ambassador Ware met with Prime Minister Matti
Vanhanen Nov.8. Fresh from having recently hosted the
EU-Ukraine Summit and the EU Heads of State/Government
informals in Lahti (which included dinner with Russian
President Putin),Vanhanen provided additional insights
on Putin's Russia; energy security; and Ukraine's
European perspectives.
My Dinner with Vladimir -- Vanhanen's Take
--------------
2. (C) Press coverage and diplomatic reporting have
offered dramatically different versions of how the
atmospherics at the EU Heads of State/Government dinner
with Putin unfolded, and Vanhanen was eager to share his
version of events with the Ambassador. Vanhanen openly
acknowledged some Member States' (MS) criticisms of the
way in which he and Commission President Barroso had
"managed" the conversation with Putin. However, the PM
emphasized, the EU had learned a clear lesson from the
2002 Heads of State meeting with President Bush in
Sweden. At that meeting, all 27 MS took the floor to
deliver messages to President Bush, creating a situation
in which the meeting quickly lost focus and much of its
usefulness for both sides. In this case with Putin,
Vanhanen and Barroso sought to allow a limited number of
MS to take the floor on some issues, while at the same
time tightening the format and managing debate, as the
EU had done during President Bush's trip to Brussels in
2005. Just as better results were achieved in Brussels,
Vanhanen said the Lahti meeting went more smoothly.
3. (C) That said, the EU still addressed some of the
tough topics. German Chancellor Merkel, who sat next to
Putin at dinner, specifically raised the murder of
journalist Anna Politkovskaya on behalf of the EU.
Reports on Merkel's role have varied, but Vanhanen was
clear that she spoke directly. Poland was "very
outspoken" on trade concerns and energy issues.
Vanhanen and Barroso also took the lead in discussing
energy security, human rights and the Frozen Conflicts -
- in particular Georgia.
Energy Security Themes
--------------
4. (C) Looking forward -- including toward the Nov. 24
EU-Russia Summit and, further on, to the handover to the
German Presidency -- Finland sees its role as trying to
build bridges between the EU and Russia, especially on
energy and trade. In addition to delivering a
negotiating mandate to the German Presidency for a new
EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA),
Vanhanen told the Ambassador that the Finns (and the
Germans) hope to "de-politicize the issues" between
Russia and certain EU member states (i.e., Poland and
the Balts),particularly on energy. Finland itself has
no bilateral energy problems with Moscow, having
carefully managed its direct energy imports from Russia
for more than 60 years to avoid dependence. However, he
emphasized, the Finns understand that they can help play
both a leadership and an honest broker role in helping
the overall EU-Russia energy relationship improve. That
said, there is a long way to go, to be sure. According
to Vanhanen, Putin's efforts to re-exert tight control
over Gazprom and the rest of the Russian energy
apparatus have made him suspicious of foreign companies,
even though he intellectually understands how badly the
sector needs foreign investment. Putin feels or has
been told that he has made mistakes ceding too much
influence to outside investors. Vanhanen said that
major "private companies can't get any answers" or even
reach anyone in the government regarding their energy
investments.
Ukraine
--------------
5. (C) Briefly touching on Ukraine in the wake of the
Oct. 27 EU-Ukraine Summit, Vanhanen said that EU
membership was still a long way off. However, the EU
must continue to emphasize positively Ukraine's European
perspectives, and in that regard should quickly work
toward a bilateral EU-Ukraine free trade arrangement.
PM Yanukovich's return has weakened President
Yushchenko, Vanhanen suggested, making it all the more
important that the EU "keep Ukraine leaning west."
WARE