GEORGIA ARRESTS ARMENIANS FOR CROSSING SEPARATIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001268

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV AM GG RU
SUBJECT: GEORGIA ARRESTS ARMENIANS FOR CROSSING SEPARATIST
BORDERS

REF: A) YEREVAN 920 B) YEREVAN 938 C) TBILISI 2424 D)
YEREVAN 838

Classified By: CDA A. F. Godfrey for reasons 1.4 (b, d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Since early August, numerous Armenian citizens have
been arrested in Georgia for transiting the breakaway
provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia without Georgian
permission, which is illegal under Georgian law. Armenian
media claim that 100 have been arrested. Armenian diplomats
have confirmed only 25, but believe the true number could be
in the hundreds. Armenian officials expressed frustration
over the development, and predict this will have a chilling
effect on the burgeoning Armenian tourist trade on Georgia's
Black Sea coast. The closing of the Kazbegi-Verkhniy Lars
border checkpoint (refs A and B),the only legal land border
crossing, has prompted many Armenians to use the unofficial
crossing points in the separatist territories. Thousands of
Armenian citizens have transited or visited the breakaway
regions at some point, making them vulnerable to this
apparent new enforcement push from Georgian authorities
checking passports for Abkhaz and South Ossetian entry/exit
stamps. END SUMMARY.

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ARRESTS BASED ON MID-90s LAW
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2. (C) According to Vardan Hakobyan, director of the Armenian
MFA's CIS desk, the arrests are based on a mid-1990s Georgian
immigration law that requires travelers to obtain Georgian
permission before entering Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Hakobyan put us in touch with Gagik Karapetyan, a counselor
at the Armenian Embassy in Tbilisi, for more details.
Karapetyan told us his Embassy learned of the arrests when an
Armenian citizen called from detention in the Black Sea port
of Poti in early August. Karapetyan told us Georgian
officials made the arrests after noticing South Ossetian and
Abkhaz stamps in the Armenians' passports. The circumstances
under which the officials found the stamps are unclear.


3. (C) Karapetyan accused the GOG of flagrantly violating its
consular agreement with Armenia, which requires it to notify
the GOAM of citizen arrests within three days. Armenian
citizens rarely contact their Embassy in Georgia for help,
Karapetyan said. Thus, though he said he is aware of only
about 25 arrests, he said the actual figure is probably much
higher than the 100 arrests cited by news outlets.
Karapetyan said he knew of four people still in prison, and
said other had been released to obtain money to pay fines or
bail, but that the GOG retained their passports. He said if
convicted, the Armenians could be sentenced to four or five
years' imprisonment, or be ordered to pay a fine of 2,000
lari (approximately USD 1,100).


4. (C) Karapetyan said Armenians routinely crossed the
Russian borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia in order to
visit relatives or to drive truck routes. He said that, up
until now, the authorities had rarely, if ever, enforced the
law. Karapetyan estimated that 50,000 Armenians living both
in southern Russia and Armenia had Abkhaz and/or South
Ossetian stamps in their passports. He likened the situation
to that between Israel and Arab countries, and said that
Armenia would not consider issuing its citizens additional
passports to facilitate travel to the separatist regions.
"What kind of relations can we have with Georgia if we need
to change our citizens' passports becQI"}/Rr!Faqinconsistent policy regarding the South Ossetian crossing,
noting that the GOG permitted travel through that border when
snow forced the closure of the Verkhniy Lars crossing -- the
only official border checkpoint between Russia and Georgia.


5. (C) Though Karapetyan was clearly frustrated with the GOG,
Hakobyan stopped short of fully blaming either Russia or
Georgia for the problem. Contrary to Karapetyan's claims, he
noted without cynicism that the Georgian government was
working with the GOAM to get the Armenian citizens released,
as they had not realized they were breaking the law. As for
the Russians, Hakobyan said, "Russia didn't arrest the
people, but we wouldn't have this problem if they hadn't
closed the border." The border was reopened temporarily
September 3, but is now closed again (ref C). MFA spokesman
Vladimir Karapetyan told the press the GOAM anticipates a
speedy resolution to the issue.

YEREVAN 00001268 002 OF 002



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OFFICIALS PREDICT LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON BLACK SEA TOURISM
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6. (C) Hakobyan and Karapetyan both predicted that the
arrests would affect the rising number of Armenian tourists
who visit Georgia's Black Sea coast, primarily Batumi and
Kobuleti, popular seaside resorts in the autonomous region of
Adjara. In June, Armenia and Georgia reopened the passenger
rail link between Yerevan and Batumi for the first time in 14
years (ref D). The Armenian media published many reports
this summer, optimistically
trumpeting the projected figures and predicting increased
goodwill and better relations between the two countries as a
result. (NOTE: News outlets quoted the Adjaran prime
minister saying that 35,000 Armenians had visited Adjara for
vacation as of September 5. Officials predict the number
will rise to 45,000 by the end of September. Last summer,
20,000 Armenians vacationed in Adjara. END NOTE.) The press
reported last week that the Armenian government plans to open
a consulate in Batumi next year.

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EFFECTS ON ECONOMY STILL UNKNOWN
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7. (C) The effects of the border closure on Armenia's economy
are difficult to measure, and few GOAM officials have made
public mention of the damage to Armenia's economy. Russia is
Armenia's main market for fresh agricultural produce, which
was generally trucked across Georgia to the Verkhniy Lars
border crossing. Now the only legal route available is
through the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti and then via
ferry to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, adding
considerably to the cost of transport and to the time it
takes to get products to market.
GODFREY