DEMARCHE DELIVERED: REAFFIRMING U.S. ENERGY

S E C R E T BAKU 001236

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
NOFORN

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2017
TAGS: ENRG ETTC PREL IR AJ
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: REAFFIRMING U.S. ENERGY
POLICY IN ADVANCE OF THE TEHRAN CASPIAN SEA SUMMIT

REF: A. STATE 141286


B. BAKU 1217

Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse per 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) The Ambassador delivered ref a points on the upcoming
Tehran Caspian Sea Summit in an October 9 telephone
conversation with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
(Mammadyarov had just returned to Baku and was about to
depart for the Vilnius Energy summit.) Speaking guardedly,
Mammadyarov relayed that Under Secretary Burns had made these
points to him during their bilateral meeting in New York.
Mammadyarov said he understands them, and that Under
Secretary Burns understands Azerbaijan's position.

SIPDIS
Mammadyarov confirmed that President Aliyev will attend the
October 16 summit in Tehran but said that Azerbaijan will not
send signals of international support for Tehran at the
Summit. Mammadyarov added that he is not at all sure,
however, about the Russian and Kazakh plans for the summit,
particularly the "signals" they will send vis a vis Tehran.
He commented that Azerbaijan did not agree to the Tehran
summit "for nothing," stating that the GOAJ thinks it has
extracted "some softening of Tehran's position on Caspian
delimitation" as the price of its attendance.


2. (C) As requested by Foreign Minister Mammadyarov, DCM
delivered detailed points (ref a) on the Tehran Summit during
an October 11 meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf
Khalafov. Khalafov responded to the demarche by assuring the
U.S. that no negative steps will be taken during the Tehran
Summit with respect to Caspian energy or the cooperation with
the United States on energy transport. He emphasized that
this upcoming conference is the follow-on to the Ashgabat
Summit and is aimed at moving forward the demarcation issue
and not serving Iran's narrow national interests. He noted
that Azerbaijan is aware of its international obligations
with respect to Iran and will continue to uphold them.


3. (S/NF) Comment: In his September 28 meeting with
visiting CIA Director Hayden, President Aliyev also said that
he was perplexed by Russia and Kazahkstan's reversal of
position on this Summit in recent weeks. Aliyev said that
both Putin and Nazarbayev had told him they did not support
the Summit, but when Ahmadinejad came to Baku in August, he
made it clear that he had secured the approval of both Putin
and Nazarbayev, and Aliyev was forced to acquiesce. Aliyev
added that he did not understand what had happened with Putin
and Nazarbayev (ref b). End comment.
DERSE