UPDATE ON GUAM SUMMIT, JUNE 18-19

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000693 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND EUR/ACE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2017 TAGS: PREL KDEM MARR MD UP GG AJ SUBJECT: UPDATE ON GUAM SUMMIT, JUNE 18-19 REF: A. BAKU 136 ¶B. BAKU 689 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Don Lu per 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) In a late May meeting, MFA Director for International Security Affairs Galib Israfilov told us that Azerbaijan, as incoming GUAM Chair, seeks to expand GUAM's geographic reach and raise its international profile. According to Israfilov, Azerbaijan views GUAM as a "natural bridge uniting Europe and Asia" and plans to "unite continents" during its upcoming chairmanship of the organization. To that end, Azerbaijan has invited more than 30 countries to participate in the June 18-19 GUAM summit in Baku, and plans to launch a new GUAM-Japan dialogue during the summit. (Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, responsible for GUAM policy, has told us repeatedly that he hopes to transform GUAM into a full-fledged regional organization that spans the Caspian and Black Seas and involves Turkey and Kazakhstan as active members, ref a). According to Samad Seyidov, Chair of the Parliament's International Relations Committee, seven heads of state plan to attend the summit: Azerbaijani President Aliyev, Bulgarian President Purvanov, Georgian President Saakashvili, Ukrainian President Yushchenko Polish President Kaczynski, and presidents from two of the three Baltic states. Seyidov confirmed that Moldovan President Voronin would be unable to attend. ¶2. (C) In a May 29 meeting with visiting OVP Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs Joseph Wood, President Aliyev said Azerbaijan hopes that GUAM will evolve into a fully functioning, normal regional organization (ref b). Aliyev confirmed that the GUAM Secretariat would be established, and said that a Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister had been selected to serve as the first Secretary General. Aliyev said GUAM under Azerbaijan's leadership will focus increasingly on regional energy and transportation projects, which he hopes the United States will support. ¶3. (C) Azerbaijan also seeks to expand GUAM's existing spheres of cooperation. Israfilov said that Azerbaijan wants to assess the efficacy of GUAM's Virtual Law Enforcement Center (VLEC) and explore new means to facilitate trade and transportation among GUAM members. Israfilov admitted that GUAM needs new ideas, and said Azerbaijan would welcome specific suggestions from the United States. Azerbaijan hopes to address these specific programming issues in the June 18 working group meetings, which Israfilov said would be attended at the Ministerial level. ¶4. (SBU) The Azerbaijani MFA is still hammering out the summit's agenda. According to Israfilov June 18 will focus on the eight Ministerial-level working group meetings, the GUAM Ministerial Council, and the GUAM-U.S. bilateral meeting, and the new GUAM-Japan bilateral dialogue. The heads of state meeting will take place on the morning of June 19, followed by an official lunch. The MFA is organizing a "scientific conference" on the afternoon of June 19 which will focus on the role of GUAM "in the region and in the world." DERSE