TURKMENISTAN: GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR SAYS RUSSIA IS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001422 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018 TAGS: PREL GG UN AORC RS TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR SAYS RUSSIA IS RUNNING TOUGH CAMPAIGN AGAINST HIM FOR UN POSITION Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1. 4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Georgian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Alexi Petriashvili (please protect) told econoff on October 29 that he is running for a position on the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ),and that he is leaving for New York to campaign for the position on November 1. A Georgian Embassy diplomatic note, received on October 29, asked for USG support of Petriashvili's candidacy. It also informed that the UN General Assembly will hold elections for this position on November 7, and that the term of this position is 2009-11. Petriashvili said the Russian Federation has its own candidate and is running a hard campaign against Petriashvili. He mentioned that other UNSC Permanent Members, for example China, are willingly giving up their seats in various UN Committees to give smaller countries a chance to have representation in such jobs. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Petriashvili no doubt believes that Russia is campaigning especially hard against him as a Georgian candidate. If true, Russia's actions are just one more example of the fallout from failed Russian-Georgian relations. END COMMENT. CURRAN