DFM KHALAFOV ON IRAN AND TURKMENISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAKU 000954 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2017 TAGS: ENRG EPET ETTC KNNP PARM PREL IR TX AJ SUBJECT: DFM KHALAFOV ON IRAN AND TURKMENISTAN REF: A. STATE 098631 ¶B. STATE 101574 BAKU 00000954 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: CDA Donald Lu for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador delivered reftel demarches to Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister (DFM) Khalaf Khalafov on July 26. Reiterating the Iran and UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR)-related talking points raised with Foreign Minister Mammadyarov, the Ambassador impressed upon Khalafov that now is not the time for business as usual with Iran and urged postponement of an Ahmadinejad visit. The Ambassador strongly urged that if a visit were to take place, that it be low profile and lead to no major agreements, especially in the energy sphere. Saying that visits were necessary to maintain normal relations with neighboring countries, Khalafov also said that the Government of Azerbaijan (GOAJ) treated Iran's continued defiance of UNSCRs "seriously and sensitively," and sought to balance Azerbaijan's commercial interests with its security needs. On the prospect of improved relations with Turkmenistan, Khalafov was optimistic, saying that he was pleased with recent talks. Khalafov was especially pleased with the willingness of the Turkmen side to discuss Caspian delimitation and bilateral issues such as the settlement of Azerbaijani debt owed to Turkmenistan. End Summary. Khalafov on Iran -------------- ¶2. (C) Delivering reftel demarches to DFM Khalafov on July 26, the Ambassador reiterated the Iran and UNSCR-related talking points she raised with Foreign Minister Mammadyarov on July 19 and 24. The Ambassador urged postponement of an Ahmadinejad visit, saying that now was not the time for business as usual with Iran. The Ambassador also strongly urged that if a visit were to take place, that it be low profile and lead to no major agreements, especially in the energy sphere. Khalafov said that visits were necessary to maintain normal relations with neighboring countries, and that it was in this framework that President Aliyev visited Iran in 2005. While saying that no dates for an Ahmadinejad visit had been determined, Khalafov did say that "ideas have been exchanged (with Iran) toward this." (Note: President Aliyev later told the Ambassador that the visit is tentatively scheduled for the end of August. End Note.) Khalafov said that he understood USG concerns and that the GOAJ was sensitive about topics of cooperation, limited primarily to commercial issues, trade, and Araz river water usage according to Khalafov. Khalafov told the Ambassador "we are ready to consult with you on the visit." ¶3. (C) Khalafov said that narcotics trafficking along the border had become a serious problem and would likely be another issue for discussion. (Note: Khalafov suggested that the GOAJ had the impression that Iran had no interest in suppressing drug trafficking at the border, an impression gained from GOAJ discussions with their Afghan counterparts. End Note.) Speaking to the threat posed by religious extremism, Khalafov said that "new shapes and threats were appearing and are a concern for us." Khalafov said that Iranian support of Shia activities and Arab country's support of Wahhabism jeopardized Azerbaijan's stability and ability to counter future threats. Saying that Azerbaijan has freedom of religion, Khalafov also said that "we won't let extremism spread." Khalafov said that the GOAJ "talks openly" about this and other issues with the Iranian government, adding that religious education was another area of bilateral discussions. ¶4. (C) Khalafov said that he believed most Iranians understood that the U.S. wants to be a partner with a democratic Iran and has nothing against the Iranian people, important points in his estimation. Saying that the UNSCRs are effective and could change Iranian behavior, Khalafov said their continued effectiveness depended on all UN member states doing their part. Characterizing Iran as nearly "self sufficient," Khalafov said that sanctions targeting Iran's economic and military activities were essential, something possible only through combined pressure. Khalafov on Turkmenistan -------------- ¶5. (C) Khalafov was very upbeat about the prospects for improved relations with Turkmenistan, saying that Turkmenistan was now "a major direction" in Azerbaijani BAKU 00000954 002.2 OF 003 foreign policy. Outlining Azerbaijan's recent efforts in this regard, Khalafov characterized Foreign Minister Mammadyarov's visit to Turkmenistan, including his meeting with Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov, as a success. With the establishment of a bilateral commission, Khalafov said that both countries now have a forum in which to discuss Caspian delimitation and bilateral issues (such as Azerbaijan's debt to Turkmenistan) and a framework in which to do so. Beyond witnessing "a positive attitude" from the Turkmen side, Khalafov said that bilateral commission talks have yielded a number of tangible results. First, both sides have agreed to "restore delimitation talks and confirmed their goodwill to continue these talks." Second, both sides managed to expand and define the details of future talks. Khalafov said that delimitation talks will be held separate from bilateral commission talks. ¶6. (C) Khalafov said that despite both countries differing in their approach to the delimitation question, the talks were positive. According to Khalafov, the Turkmen approach to the delimitation question involves accepting the initial Turkmen proposal and then seeking compromise from there. The Azerbaijani approach, on the other hand, involves starting from the median line position, and then negotiating from there. Khalafov said that he favored the latter approach, saying that he believed finding compromise based on the median line would be easier. He said that the focus of the next bilateral meeting - tentatively scheduled for September in Baku - would be to define an approach to this issue. ¶7. (C) Responding to the Ambassador's comment that she understood the median line approach to have been the basis for Kazakh-Russian-Azerbaijani agreements, Khalafov said that defining the base line is the difficult part, and that Azerbaijan will work on the northern intersection point (with Kazakhstan) because Turkmenistan is more open to this. Saying that the main issue with the Iranians was very similar, Khalafov said that the Iranian approach was comparable to the Turkmen, probably stemming from their 20 percent approach, which neither Azerbaijan or Turkmenistan support, added Khalafov. Khalafov noted that the will and inclination towards negotiations was greater on the Turkmen side than ever before, and that Turkmenistan was preserving a "positive environment for negotiations." Saying that there were no "stubborn claims" from the Turkmen this time around, Khalafov said that the GOAJ was not trying to pressure them, saying "our intention is to demonstrate goodwill and work up to the more difficult issues - I said this on Turkmen television." ¶8. (C) Khalafov said that he had also touched upon regional issues with the Turkmen president, to include the Trans Caspian pipeline project, which he told the Turkmen the GOAJ greatly supported and pointing out the benefits of such a project for Turkmenistan. Saying that the Turkmen did not rule out the possibility, Khalafov said that he discussed Kazakh-Turkmen-Azerbaijani research opportunities such as determining the route and feasibility of a pipeline. Concerning the Ambassador's comment that the USG had proposed a USD 1.7 million feasibility study for a Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan pipeline, Khalafov said he knew about the proposal and was interested in the details. When the Ambassador said that the USG was considering a feasibility study for a pipeline from Turkmenistan to the Shah Deniz or ACG oil/gas fields, Khalafov quickly added that it must go to Shah Deniz. Asking if the GOAJ was amenable to discussing such a study in a technical working group level, Khalafov responded "yes," adding that he had talked about this with the MFA's Ambassador-at-large for energy issues Shamil Alasgarov. Khalafov suggested that Kazakhstan should also be involved (or possibly as observers) in any discussions because he believed this could "unite the Kazakhs and the Turkmen." Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) Khalafov seemed very pleased with the nature of recent talks with Turkmenistan, the parameters that had been established on solving the Azerbaijani debt problem, and Turkmenistan's willingness to discuss delimitation. He did not indicate that any substantive agreement was reached on delimitation, only an agreement to continue the discussions. On Iran, the Azerbaijanis are clearly trying to prepare the USG for the possibility that the Ahmadinejad visit will take place in the short term. They have pledged no substantive agreements, including on energy. They have also promised to BAKU 00000954 003.2 OF 003 keep us informed every step of the way. The Embassy will hold them to that commitment. DERSE