TURKEY: GOT REQUESTS MEETINGS ON MULTILATERAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001927 SIPDIS EEB FOR C BOYDEN GRAY E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2018 TAGS: EFIN ENRG TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: GOT REQUESTS MEETINGS ON MULTILATERAL ENERGY FINANCING MECHANISM REF: A. ISTANBUL 553 ¶B. ANKARA 1901 Classified By: DCM Doug Silliman for reasons 1.4 b,d ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para 3 below. ¶2. (C) During a November 6 meeting with DCM and Economic Counselor, Turkish G-20 Summit Sherpa Selim Kuneralp asked about a proposed meeting between PM Erdogan and the Vice President on the margins of the G-20 Financial Summit, as a follow up to the visit of DOE U/S Kupfer (reftel A). Kuneralp expressed the interest of other G-20 delegation members, particularly Treasury Minister Simsek, in meeting with USG officials on the margins of the G-20 Summit to discuss establishment of the multilateral energy financing mechanism that was proposed by the Kupfer delegation. We informed Kuneralp about the upcoming visits of Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy C. Boyden Gray and US EBRD Executive Director Ken Peel in early December, and expressed our continued interest in working with Turkey to meet its energy needs. ¶3. (C) Action requested: Embassy strongly recommends that senior USG officials meet with Treasury Minister Simsek in Washington November 14-16 to discuss USG efforts to develop a multilateral financing mechanism in support of our energy sector development plan. The GOT is receptive to our proposals on energy alternatives, and we are seeing forward movement now in Turkish discussions with Azerbaijan and with the EU on the Nabucco project (reftel B). We should not miss this opportunity to move our Caspian energy agenda forward. The visit of USED Peel in early December will offer another opportunity to continue this discussion with Simsek and other GOT officials. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON