CZECHS EXPECT "PRAGMATIC" SIX MONTHS AS LOCAL EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001369

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM EU EZ UZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS EXPECT "PRAGMATIC" SIX MONTHS AS LOCAL EU
CHAIR

REF: TASHKENT 1345

Classified By: CDA Brad Hanson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Czech Political Officer Dagmar Novohradska told Poloff
that the Czech Embassy will be pragmatic during its six
months as the local representative of the European Union
(EU). She said that the Czechs understand their role is to
represent the EU as a whole, and may need to temper some of
its national positions to be effective. As an example,
Novohradska pointed to the Czech decision to support
modifying EU sanctions against Uzbekistan last year.
According to Novohradska, the Czechs would have preferred no
modification to the sanctions, but ultimately decided that
holding to a tough line on the issue would have made it
virtually impossible to effectively represent the EU in
Tashkent.


2. (C) Novohradska admitted that Uzbekistan is not a high
priority for the Czech Republic. She said that while the
Czechs remain strong proponents of human rights, they need to
balance these concerns against the bilateral commercial
relationship and the need to be effective as the EU
representative in Tashkent. She doubted that new initiatives
would be started, but said that efforts to implement the EU's
Central Asia strategy and continue the European human rights
dialogue with the Uzbeks would continue. On the latter, she
said that the Government of Uzbekistan had shown little
inclination to discuss human rights with the Europeans
following the decision not to lift sanctions completely, but
she suspected that this would change as the next sanctions
review approaches. According to Novohradska, the Czech
Embassy most likely will not try to drive EU policy in
Uzbekistan on most issue, but rather will be guided by
discussion in, and instructions from, Brussels. She assured
us, however, that the Czechs remain strong proponents of
human rights and will continue to discuss concerns in this
area with the Government of Uzbekistan on a bilateral basis
as appropriate. Novohradska also said that the Czech Embassy
would welcome close contact and coordination with the U.S.
Embassy on issues of mutual concern.


3. (C) Comment: The Czechs were very up front that they see
the need to balance their concerns on human rights and other
such issues with both their bilateral commercial relationship
(as big as the Germans and bigger than the British and
French, Novohradska claimed) and the need to be effective as
EU representative. Even so, Post believes the Czech Embassy
will be an ally and try to push the EU to do the right thing
in most cases. Czech Ambassador Ales Fojtik set the stage by
raising the denial of accreditation to a Human Rights Watch
staffer with First Deputy Foreign Minister Nematov in his
very first meeting as EU representative, causing Nematov to
react angrily and cut the meeting short (reftel).
HANSON