RESPONDING TO RUSSIAN ACTIONS ON SEPARATIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 000626

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2017
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS MD GG RS
SUBJECT: RESPONDING TO RUSSIAN ACTIONS ON SEPARATIST
CONFLICTS

REF: STATE 15283

Classified By: PolMilCouns Alice G. Wells. Reason: 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) We approached Russian MFA South Ossetia negotiator
Popov and, separately, Transnistria negotiator Nesterushkin
with reftel demarche. We stressed the change in Russian
official practice, referring to separatist leaders as if they
were legitimate, and asked whether Russia is not taking yet
another step to undermine Moldovan and Georgian territorial
integrity.


2. (C) Popov replied that there is no change in the Russian
position, and Russia is careful to refer to the figures as
presidents or foreign ministers of geographical regions
without reference to political status ("South Ossetia,"
"Transnistria") rather than as officials of legitimate state
units (Republic of South Ossetia, Transnistrian Republic,"
etc.) Nesterushkin gave the same argument, and added that
the references we cited were press releases, not MFA
statements.


3. (C) We dismissed these arguments as sophistry and urged
Popov and Nesterushkin to demonstrate more clearly Russia's
stated support for territorial integrity. With Nesterushkin,
this led to a discussion of what these countries' territory
is: he maintained that the separatist entities had seceded
from the republics before the republics achieved independence
from the USSR. Therefore, Moldova, for example, is claiming
territory that belonged to the Moldovan SSR but was never de
facto incorporated into the independent Republic of Moldova;
a similar situation applied to Georgia and Azerbaijan. We
replied this was not our understanding of the chronology, and
ended the discussion by calling on Russia to support the
territorial integrity within the borders of the former Union
Republics of the USSR, which had been recognized by the
international community to avoid just such conflicts.
BURNS