PUBLIC CHAMBER HEAD VELIKHOV DESCRIBES EFFORTS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001212 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR RS SUBJECT: PUBLIC CHAMBER HEAD VELIKHOV DESCRIBES EFFORTS TO HELP CIVIL SOCIETY REF: A. MOSCOW 01090 ¶B. MOSCOW 861 ¶C. MOSCOW 01082 ¶D. MOSCOW 922 Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. For Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. SUMMARY. In a February 6 meeting with the Ambassador, Public Chamber Secretary Yevgeniy Velikhov expressed hope that the Chamber could positively influence the implementing regulations for the controversial NGO legislation. He dismissed recent spying accusations against NGOs as nonsense. He said that priorities for the Chamber included combating hazing, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and corruption, as well as promoting philanthropy. Velikhov discussed the Chamber's relations with the Duma and the Kremlin. The Ambassador noted the mutually beneficial nature of U.S. support to civil society in Russia and offered to share the USG experience on working with NGOs with the Chamber. Turning to the G-8, Velikhov criticized some of Russia's preparations on youth and energy as superficial. END SUMMARY. . NGO LEGISLATION -------------- ¶2. (C) On February 6, Public Chamber Secretary and Kurchatov Institute President Yevgeniy Velikhov told the Ambassador there was a good chance that the Chamber could positively influence the implementing regulations for the controversial NGO legislation (ref A). The Chamber received information about the implementation process from relevant ministries, which were legally bound to provide such information. Based on this information the Chamber planned to make proposals to the GOR for the implementing regulations. The Ambassador offered to share with the Chamber information about how the U.S. implements its laws regarding NGOs. ¶3. (C) Velikhov expressed concern about the effect of the recent spying accusations against NGOs (ref B),which he described as nonsense. The allegations stemmed from a baseless fear of the "colored" revolutions. Velikhov noted that the Public Chamber's Committee on Civil Society would work with NGOs to increase financial transparency to avoid such charges and to foster a positive image of NGOs and donors. The Ambassador and Velikhov discussed the possibility of a joint event with Junior Achievement to highlight the valuable philanthropic work that the USG funded in Russia. (Note: Velikhov was a founder of Junior Achievement in Russia. End Note.) . OTHER PRIORITIES FOR CHAMBER -------------- ¶4. (C) Discussing some of the Chamber's other priorities, Velikhov said the body was working with the Ministry of Defense on the issue of hazing in the military. The problem had a long history that defied quick fixes, and part of the solution involved the military working with NGOs. Velikhov noted that the Chamber's Council, which is comprised of the Chairmen of the 17 Commissions, the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary, would hear a report that day on the recent hazing SIPDIS incident in Chelyabinsk (ref C). ¶5. (C) Velikhov also saw a role for the Chamber in fighting xenophobia and anti-Semitism. As a first step, the Chamber was planning on holding prayer breakfasts with participation by all religious denominations. Velikhov said that Russia had difficulties in the area of religious tolerance due to the aggressive stance of the Russian Orthodox Church in its relations with other religious groups and the many strong disagreements in the religious community among different faiths. ¶6. (C) According to Velikhov, another key priority for the Chamber would be to increase philanthropy. Velikhov expressed optimism that Vladimir Potanin, chairman of the Commission on Charity and owner of Norilsk Nickel, could mobilize the business community to donate more. Velikhov and the Ambassador discussed the possibility of having members of the American Chamber of Commerce speak with a group organized by Potanin to share U.S. business views about the importance of charity. One of the biggest problems with philanthropy in Russia was the absence of a tax exemption for charitable donations, Velikhov said. Velikhov had raised this issue with Putin many times, but it went nowhere due to Putin's concerns that such a tax exemption would be used to launder money. ¶7. (C) Velikhov said fighting corruption would be another important task for the Chamber. He noted that corruption existed during the Soviet period and was an illness that was MOSCOW 00001212 002 OF 002 deeply embedded in the system. Putin requested that the Chamber help monitor the money being spent on new national projects to protect against corruption. Velikhov had already met with Accounting Chamber Chairman Sergey Stepashin and Transparency International's Managing Director Yelena Panfilova to mobilize the government, NGOs, and the public as part of a long-term approach to the problem. . PUBLIC CHAMBER'S RELATIONS WITH THE GOR -------------- ¶8. (C) Turning to relations with the Duma, Velikhov said that some deputies were taking a cautious approach to the Chamber. Velikhov stressed the need for close coordination between the Chamber and the Duma to work on developing legislation. He expressed concern about missed opportunities for the Chamber if Duma deputies were not forthcoming about the schedule for pending legislation, as happened with the recent NGO legislation. Cooperation between the two bodies was complicated since some Duma Committees already had good contact with NGOs and worked with them on legislation. Velikhov noted, however, that not all Duma committees had strong ties to NGOs. He believed that the Chamber could serve as a bridge to civil society since all the Chamber's Commissioners had experience working with both the Duma and NGOs. ¶9. (C) Velikhov believed that the Duma had limited power over the Chamber, since the Duma directly funded only the grants the Chamber would give to NGOs. Velikhov said the salary for staffers on the Chamber's Commissions came from the Kremlin, and Chamber members received no salary at all. He also noted that the Chamber's Commissions lacked office space at the moment and many of the commissioners would use their own office space for meetings. When asked by the Ambassador about the Kremlin's role in the Chamber, Velikhov identified Presidential Administration (PA) Domestic Politics Administration deputy head Mikhail Ostrovskiy as the Kremlin's main point person for the Chamber. The Kremlin had not formally finalized the role, but Velikhov hoped that Ostrovskiy would remain in the position. Velikhov also said that due to his numerous responsibilities, he had reluctantly agreed to Putin's request to head the Public Chamber and noted that his term of service would only be for two years. . MORE COULD BE DONE ON EDUCATION AND NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR G-8 -------------- -------------- ¶10. (C) Velikhov expressed concern that the GOR's preparations for the G-8 summit were primarily focused on public relations, rather than producing good results. In particular the GOR could focus more on youth issues and he called for greater educational links between the U.S. and Russia as part of the summit. Velikhov said that Junior Achievement might be able to play a role contributing to the dialogue on this G-8 issue. As for energy security, Velikhov believed that too much attention was being paid to hydro-carbons and that nuclear issues were being neglected. He suggested focusing on nuclear fuel cycle technology to reduce the risks of proliferation and the costs of producing nuclear electricity. He also spoke about a proposal in the works to build nuclear submarines and underwater pipelines for transporting liquid natural gas (LNG) to reduce the risk of terrorists attacking LNG tankers. The Ambassador noted that the energy component at the G-8 could also be strengthened by the GOR helping resolve key issues such as Shtokman, the Caspian pipeline, and subsoil legislation before the summit. . COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) The Public Chamber was designed to strengthen the Kremlin's control over NGOs and to help create a more compliant civil society (ref D). Most Chamber members support the Kremlin. Nevertheless, some of the members who have a strong independent standing like Velikhov will likely be useful to engage. Velikhov seemed well-informed, engaged, and realistic about the issues that the Chamber was facing. His willingness to reach out to organizations like Transparency International indicates that the Chamber will not always turn to noncontroversial organizations on issues and that the Chamber may occasionally deviate from the Kremlin line. BURNS