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.

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WILSON