TURKEY/AZERBAIJAN: GUL PROPOSES TRILATERAL MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001980 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2018 TAGS: PREL AM AJ TU SUBJECT: TURKEY/AZERBAIJAN: GUL PROPOSES TRILATERAL MEETING TO ALIYEV Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) MFA Deputy U/S for Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Unal Cevikoz and PM Foreign Policy Advisor Ahmet Davutoglu told Ambassador separately that President Gul proposed a trilateral Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan summit, perhaps in late January or early February, to President Aliyev, during Aliyev's November 5-6 state visit to Turkey. The idea is only a proposal; the Armenians have not yet agreed and there is no intention or desire to hijack the Minsk Group process. Turkey is a Minsk Group member, but recognizes that the co-chairs lead the negotiations. MFA Acting DDG for South Caucasus Firat Sunel, meeting with us November 12, said Turkey's approach on Nagorno-Karabakh (N-K) is meant to complement, not serve as an alternative to, the Minsk process. Reminding us that the Turkish, Azerbaijani and Armenian FMs met at UNGA in September, but Presidents Gul and Sargsian did not (Aliyev was not present),Sunel said Turkey had created some "expectations in the international community" that it would continue to play a contributing role on N-K. ¶2. (C) Turkish N-K initiatives should be seen in the context of Turkey's Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform (CSCP) proposal, said Sunel. Turkey continues to advance the CSCP. Georgian Embassy DCM Irakli Koplatadze told us November 13 that FM Babacan met with Georgian FM Tkeshelashvili on the margins of the Istanbul World Economic Forum in late October. Tkeshelashvili, he said, was more positive on the CSCP than she was earlier, reportedly telling Babacan that a "supplementary" regional effort to promote peace in the Caucasus could be "beneficial and productive" (though she underscored Georgia's insistence that the CSCP be composed unambiguously of the five states: Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, and only those states, i.e., excluding Abkhaz and South Ossetian representatives). Russian Embassy political officer Artur Lyukmanov told us November 12 that Moscow would view a Turkey-hosted trilateral with Armenia and Azerbaijan positively and that the Russians and Turks remain engaged in technical discussions on how to carry the CSCP proposal forward. President Gul is planning to visit Moscow in mid-December (no confirmed date),where the two sides will presumably discuss the CSCP. Lyukmanov ;said he expected some sort of declaration of support for the proposal to emerge from the visit. Highlighting a sense of Turko-Russian synergy on the Caucasus, Lyukmanov said Moscow was very pleased with MFA's endorsement of the President Medvedev-hosted trilateral summit with Aliyev and Sargsian in Moscow (see paragraph 5),which it did not solicit. ¶3. (C) According to Sunel, the Azerbaijani delegation in Ankara, which included the Deputy PM, FM, Energy Minister, Transport Minister, the Nachevan parliament speaker, and Mrs. Aliyev, appeared pleased with the direction of talks with Armenia on N-K and comfortable with the Turkish effort to normalize bilateral relations with Armenia. In an address to the Turkish Parliament, Aliyev described the N-K conflict as the biggest problem facing regional peace and security. Turkey, he said, "will intervene seriously in regional problems in the future and will have positive results." "We believe that Turkey's initiative and sincere approach will bring peace to the region." Sunel believes Aliyev has a favorable impression of Sargsian; Aliyev reportedly told Gul he views him as a sincere leader. Sunel noted that the better part of the meetings were carried out privately between Aliyev and Gul and Aliyev and PM Erdogan. No agreements were signed. TEXT OF MFA STATEMENT ON MOSCOW TRILATERAL MEETING (UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION) -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) BEGIN TEXT: November 5, 2008 "We welcome the fact that the Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russian Federation Presidents held a meeting in Moscow on November 2, 2008 on the issue of finding a solution to the problem of Upper Karabakh and following that meeting the sides' announcing the signing of a Joint Declaration. It is also noted with pleasure that the Joint Declaration noted that the sides aimed to reach a solution to the problem would be reached through a direct dialogue among the parties based on international law and that they have decided to activate the negotiations process including holding highest level contacts. Our country, since the beginning, has supported a mutually acceptable peaceful solution to be created through dialogue. ANKARA 00001980 002 OF 002 The sides coming together within this framework is evaluated as a constructive and important step taken in that direction. It is thought that the tri-partite meeting among the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia on September 26, 2008 contributed to this process. Although the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform proposal that was developed by our country following the clashes that occurred in August in Georgia is not directly related with any specific conflict, it aims to create the necessary conditions to solve all existing conflicts in Southern Caucasus by the establishment of mutual confidence and regional political dialogue. It is evaluated that the network of relations based on cooperation and mutual confidence that would be created among the regional countries on the basis of the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform may serve the purpose of creating a confidence building medium among the parties as stated in the Joint Communique. Turkey, which is a member of OSCE Minsk group at the same time, will continue to work with the relevant parties for the solution of the Upper Karabakh problem which casts an important threat to the stability and security of our region and it will continue providing support to the works and solution-finding efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group." END TEXT. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON