Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ANKARA2596
2007-10-19 13:33:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:
TURKEY: ABKHAZ "PRESIDENT" CANCELS VISIT
how-toVZCZCXRO4282 OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHAK #2596 2921333 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 191333Z OCT 07 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4088 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002596
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EUR FOR MATT BRYZA, MIKE CARPENTER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2017
TAGS: PREL GG TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: ABKHAZ "PRESIDENT" CANCELS VISIT
REF: ANKARA 1505
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice G. Weiner, reasons 1.4 b, d
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002596
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EUR FOR MATT BRYZA, MIKE CARPENTER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2017
TAGS: PREL GG TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: ABKHAZ "PRESIDENT" CANCELS VISIT
REF: ANKARA 1505
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice G. Weiner, reasons 1.4 b, d
1. (C) We met on October 16 with Georgian DCM Koplatadze,
who complained about the planned visit to Turkey of Abkhaz
"President" Bagapsh, calling it unacceptable -- unofficial or
not. He said Georgia expected the GOT to intervene to ensure
that it is canceled. (The visit was, in fact, canceled.)
The GOG, he said, is not sympathetic to the argument that a
visit by Bagapsh is purely private and had reason to believe
that official contacts might have been planned. Koplatadze
is frustrated that the GOT nearly allowed a crisis to erupt
in its bilateral relations with Georgia. The Circassian
diaspora in Turkey, he argued, does not have real political
clout. Georgia would like Turkey to be a facilitator in
resolving Georgia's Abkhaz problem, but Tbilisi needs to give
Ankara the okay first. As an example of a possible
confidence-building role for Turkey, Koplatadze noted that
Georgia had proposed allowing direct ferry service from the
Turkish city of Trabzon to Sukhumi, with joint
Turkish-Georgian customs administration. The GOT had,
however, rejected this idea.
2. (C) Koplatadze suggested that a Turkey-Georgia crisis
would not be a good thing for Turkey at a time when its
relations with neighboring Armenia could get even worse.
Georgia also has much to lose. The GOG, he said, is deeply
concerned by the trajectory of U.S.-Turkish relations, and
its potential impact on Georgia. The Georgians view strong
U.S.-Turkish relations as a foundation for strong
Georgian-Turkish relations. Successful Turkish advocacy for
Georgia's integration with NATO and other European and
transatlantic institutions requires active Turkish
participation in those same organizations. Not surprisingly,
Koplatadze also worries that weakened U.S.-Turkish relations
could lead Turkey to seek stronger ties with Russia, despite
the Russian Duma's own Armenian genocide recognition and
Moscow's close ties to Yerevan.
3. (C) For its part, the GOT has always denied any
"official" contact with Sukhumi, stressing its unmitigated
support for Georgia's territorial integrity. Yet the GOT
remains under constant pressure to reach out to Abkhaz
de-facto authorities by a politically active Turkish
Circassian community frustrated by its government's
pro-Georgian policies. The GOT's request that "President"
Bagapsh cancel this "unofficial" visit -- a second time --
has further soured the community. Cihan Candemir, president
of the Federation of Circassian Associations in Turkey, told
us on October 17 that Turkey's failure to engage in Abkhazia
-- including lifting the restriction on direct travel to the
region -- undermines Turkish interests, and creates a bad
precedent for the GOT in Cyprus. As a result, Russia, he
said, is forced to play the role of guarantor in Abkhazia,
and he lamented the Russification of Abkhazia. He further
bemoaned what he termed Georgian threats and the complete
lack of confidence between the two sides.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EUR FOR MATT BRYZA, MIKE CARPENTER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2017
TAGS: PREL GG TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: ABKHAZ "PRESIDENT" CANCELS VISIT
REF: ANKARA 1505
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice G. Weiner, reasons 1.4 b, d
1. (C) We met on October 16 with Georgian DCM Koplatadze,
who complained about the planned visit to Turkey of Abkhaz
"President" Bagapsh, calling it unacceptable -- unofficial or
not. He said Georgia expected the GOT to intervene to ensure
that it is canceled. (The visit was, in fact, canceled.)
The GOG, he said, is not sympathetic to the argument that a
visit by Bagapsh is purely private and had reason to believe
that official contacts might have been planned. Koplatadze
is frustrated that the GOT nearly allowed a crisis to erupt
in its bilateral relations with Georgia. The Circassian
diaspora in Turkey, he argued, does not have real political
clout. Georgia would like Turkey to be a facilitator in
resolving Georgia's Abkhaz problem, but Tbilisi needs to give
Ankara the okay first. As an example of a possible
confidence-building role for Turkey, Koplatadze noted that
Georgia had proposed allowing direct ferry service from the
Turkish city of Trabzon to Sukhumi, with joint
Turkish-Georgian customs administration. The GOT had,
however, rejected this idea.
2. (C) Koplatadze suggested that a Turkey-Georgia crisis
would not be a good thing for Turkey at a time when its
relations with neighboring Armenia could get even worse.
Georgia also has much to lose. The GOG, he said, is deeply
concerned by the trajectory of U.S.-Turkish relations, and
its potential impact on Georgia. The Georgians view strong
U.S.-Turkish relations as a foundation for strong
Georgian-Turkish relations. Successful Turkish advocacy for
Georgia's integration with NATO and other European and
transatlantic institutions requires active Turkish
participation in those same organizations. Not surprisingly,
Koplatadze also worries that weakened U.S.-Turkish relations
could lead Turkey to seek stronger ties with Russia, despite
the Russian Duma's own Armenian genocide recognition and
Moscow's close ties to Yerevan.
3. (C) For its part, the GOT has always denied any
"official" contact with Sukhumi, stressing its unmitigated
support for Georgia's territorial integrity. Yet the GOT
remains under constant pressure to reach out to Abkhaz
de-facto authorities by a politically active Turkish
Circassian community frustrated by its government's
pro-Georgian policies. The GOT's request that "President"
Bagapsh cancel this "unofficial" visit -- a second time --
has further soured the community. Cihan Candemir, president
of the Federation of Circassian Associations in Turkey, told
us on October 17 that Turkey's failure to engage in Abkhazia
-- including lifting the restriction on direct travel to the
region -- undermines Turkish interests, and creates a bad
precedent for the GOT in Cyprus. As a result, Russia, he
said, is forced to play the role of guarantor in Abkhazia,
and he lamented the Russification of Abkhazia. He further
bemoaned what he termed Georgian threats and the complete
lack of confidence between the two sides.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON