AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 001102

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM BO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON FOREIGN
MINISTER: "WE HAVE NO POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BELARUS"

Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d).

Summary
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1. (C) The Ambassador met October 9 with Belarusian Foreign
Minister Martynov to present him with copies of the letter of
recall for her predecessor and her letters of credence.
Martynov welcomed the Ambassador, and made his usual comments
about the nature of the relationship Belarus wants to have
with the U.S, while noting that "our destiny will be decided
by our own people." The Ambassador raised U.S. concerns
regardiing democracy and human rights, specifically raised
the topic of political prisoners in Belarus, and clarified
Martynov's confusion over sanctions language in the Belarus
Democracy Reauthorization Act. End summary.


2. (C) Foreign Minister Martynov began a generally cordial
discussion by welcoming the Ambassador back to Belarus,
noting that Belarus was "in favor of a normal relationship"
with the United States, and stating that he was open to
future open or private discussions with the Ambassador. He
went on to say that relations should be between "equal
players" on a basis of mutual respect, but sounded a note of
caution as well; "we do not build foreign policy on
anti-Americanism; you do not shy from criticizing us, we do
not shy from criticizing you." Without irony, the FM added
that the GOB "prides itself" on representing the views of the
people of Belarus. Martynov then listed possible areas of
cooperation, including disarmament, fighting corruption,
counterterrorism, trade, fighting trafficking in persons and
child pornography, where work would be possible in the
absence of "undue restrictions' on the part of the U.S.
Martynov averred that "it's OK to have disagreements...we
appreciate that the U.S. cares about Belarus, but we are
convinced that we know what is good for our country; our
destiny will be decided by our own people."


3. (C) After presenting copies of the letters of recall and
credence, the Ambassador spoke of her pleasure in returning
to Belarus for a second assignment. She expressed her desire
that the peoples of the United States and Belarus could
develop a greater friendship, and noted the importance of
frank discussions between herself and the Minister. The
Ambassador emphasized that the U.S is committed to Belarus'
independence and sovereignty. She raised U.S. concerns on
the subject of democracy and human rights in Belarus, and the
U.S. desire to see greater freedom in Belarus, specifically
raising the issue of political prisoners Aleksandr Kozulin
and the two former employees of the NGO "Partnership" who
remain in jail; Martynov responded tersely that as all
convictions are made under the law, "there are no political
prisoners in Belarus."


4. (C) Martynov complained that the President and Congress
were not sending the same message on Belarus. He contrasted
the USG's favorable finding on Belarus under Jackson-Vanik
with strong language on sanctions in the draft Belarusian
Democracy Reauthorization Act (BDRA): the Minister cited the
BDRA draft as an example of how "the sanctions approach is a
dead-end street." In response, the Ambassador emphasized
that the U.S. did not seek to sanction the peple of Belarus
as a whole. She pointed out that while the BDRA has not yet
been reviewed by the executive branch, that the White House
listens carefully to Capitol Hill, and that overall goals
regarding Belarus are shared by the executive and legislative
branches on the U.S. Government.


5. (C) Concluding the meeting, Martynov noted the Embassy's
pending request for the Ambassador to present her
credentials. Almost apologetically, the Minister explained
that the Ambassador would likely have to wait until December
to do so, as there was a large backlog of other ambassadors
in line in front of her. The Ambassador carefully secured
Martynov's agreement that she would travel around Belarus and
meet with Belarusians in the meantime.

Comment
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6. (C) Martynov's comments were not particularly new or
intresting, although they were pleasantly delivered without
the harangue typical of Belarus' dictator, and originality is
not likely to appear during a protocol-driven meeting.
Martynov is not on the visa ban list, and has a track record
of being comparatively open to frank discussions, but it
remains to be seen whether he will be available as an
interlocutor for the Ambassador.
Stewart