Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USNATO148
2007-03-07 17:14:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

NATO/GEORGIA: NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MEETING

Tags:  NATO PREL MOPS GG 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHNO #0148/01 0661714
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O 071714Z MAR 07
FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0583
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000148 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS GG
SUBJECT: NATO/GEORGIA: NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MEETING
WITH GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILI

REF: JONES-RPM E-MAIL 02/28/07

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Richard G. Olson for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000148

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS GG
SUBJECT: NATO/GEORGIA: NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MEETING
WITH GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILI

REF: JONES-RPM E-MAIL 02/28/07

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Richard G. Olson for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (U) Below is the text of a report distributed to NATO
Allies by the NATO Secretary-General on his February 27
meeting with Georgian President Saakashvili at NATO
Headquarters.


2. (C) Begin Text: President Saakashvili visited Brussels
from 26-27 February 2007 for meetings with NATO and the EU.
This was President Saakashvili's second visit to NATO
Headquarters, the previous visit coming in Spring 2004, when
he delivered Georgia's Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP) Presentation Document to the Council.

During our meeting, I noted that the Intensified Dialogue
(ID) process was off to a good start, and that it was
important for Georgia to use IPAP and ID to the fullest
extent possible. I briefed President Saakashvili on the main
findings of the IPAP assessment team visit from 19-22
February. I noted that the assessment team saw good progress
in many areas, but at the same time several shortcomings were
identified that would need to be addressed as a matter of
priority. I noted, as I have in the past, that further steps
in the NATO-Georgia relationship will be based on Georgia's
performance in meeting reform goals, in particular those laid
out in the IPAP.

I also informed President Saakashvili on the main outcomes of
the Riga Summit, in particular highlighting the strong
support for Georgia's territorial integrity, while at the
same time urging continued commitment to peaceful conflict
resolution. I noted that Allies appreciate Georgia's
contributions to international peacekeeping and peace support
operations, which show that Georgia is aiming to be a net
contributor to regional and international security. In
particular, I welcomed Georgia's willingness to make a
contribution to NATO's mission in Afghanistan, and expressed
my hope that arrangements regarding this contribution could
be finalized shortly.

President Saakashvili provided me with an overview of
regional dynamics in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. He

said that Georgia was trying to be a regional leader, showing
through example that reforms work. He expressed his view
that other regional countries like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan
were becoming more confident, and were beginning to pursue
their own foreign policies independent of Moscow.

The President expressed his strong belief that Russian
sanctions against Georgia were actually helping the Georgian
economy in the long run, as Georgian producers were
diversifying their markets and improving product quality. He
said that he expected Georgian-Russian relations to stabilize
following the tensions last fall, and expressed his hope that
Georgia and Russia could build a relationship based on
pragmatism and respect for sovereignty. The President said
that Georgia had seen real benefits from the policy of
"laying low" the past few months and not overreacting to
Russian provocations, and that this policy would continue.
He did express some concern, however, that relations with
Georgia (including on South Ossetia and Abkhazia) might
become an issue in the 2008 presidential elections, which
could harm bilateral relations once again.

President Saakashvili reiterated Georgia's full commitment to
pursue peaceful conflict resolution with regard to South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. He said that Georgia would continue to
make concrete proposals aimed at resolution of the conflicts,
and was already engaged in infrastructure rehabilitation
activities in both regions. He said that Georgia appreciated
the Alliance's "principled" stand on the territorial
integrity of Georgia, and expressed his hope that the EU
would become more engaged on helping to resolve the
conflicts, both through facilitating confidence-building
projects but also through pushing for a change to the
negotiating formats.

President Saakashvili expressed his country's continued
commitment to join the Alliance as soon as possible, and said
that Georgia would take whatever technical steps were
necessary to improve IPAP performance. He reiterated the
Georgian Foreign Minister's invitation for the NAC to visit
Georgia in the fall of 2007, and expressed his belief that
this would make a substantial contribution to the Intensified
Dialogue process.

President Saakashvili also highlighted Georgia's continued
commitment to international peacekeeping and peace support

USNATO 00000148 002 OF 002


operations, and said that Georgia's commitment to KFOR would
continue. He said discussions were ongoing with several
Allies regarding a Georgian commitment to ISAF, and said that
he hopes to finalize these discussions and to enable a
deployment in the next few months. In particular, he noted
that the Georgian MOD is developing a mountain warfare
training center, and that this might be a good venue for
training specialists of the Afghan National Army.

Finally, regarding Ukraine, President Saakashvili expressed
optimism about the long-term direction of the country. He
said that Ukraine is currently like a boat without a rudder.
It does not have firm direction, but it is nonetheless
drifting slowly towards the West. He said that while the "go
slow" policy of Prime Minister Yanukovich was unlikely to
change anytime soon, Yanukovich had shown increasing
pragmatism over the past few months. End Text.
NULAND