DEMARCHES ON RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000886 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND EUR/RUS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR KG SUBJECT: DEMARCHES ON RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA DELIVERED TO KYRGYZ OFFICIALS REF: A. STATE 91894 ¶B. STATE 91366 ¶C. STATE 90978 ¶D. STATE 89769 BISHKEK 00000886 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Lee Litzenberger, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Over the past week, Charge has engaged repeatedly with senior Kyrgyz officials to discuss the Russia-Georgia conflict and Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Charge delivered points during separate meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister Ermek Ibraimov, MFA Western Countries Director Kanat Tursunkulov, Security Council Secretary Lt.-Gen. Ismail Isakov, and presidential foreign policy advisor Islan Ryskulov. All of our interlocutors referred to President Bakiyev's earlier statement that the conflict should be resolved peacefully through negotiations and according to the norms of international law. ¶2. (C) DFM Ibraimov told Charge that the situation in Georgia presented a "difficult question" for Kyrgyzstan, and Kyrgyzstan favored discussion of these issues in international fora. He said that the conflict, as well as the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, would be discussed at the SCO in Dushanbe, and he expected the issues to be a major focus of discussions at the CIS Summit in Bishkek in October. Speaking before Russia's recognition of the breakaway Georgian Republics, Ibraimov thought it likely that the CIS would agree to form some kind of mechanism -- likely a conference of foreign ministers -- to seek the peaceful resolution of all the frozen conflicts facing the CIS. He thought the CIS would issue a statement in support of "stability," but acknowledged the difficulties of attempting to address a dispute between two CIS member states, one of whom was Russia. ¶3. (C) MFA Western Countries Director Tursunkulov said that the Kyrgyz government would take a "balanced" approach to the issues, but would support "territorial integrity" over "self-determination" in the end. Tursunkulov explained that the situation in Kyrgyzstan's south -- a substantial ethnic Uzbek population, many ethnic Tajiks, and some borders not demarcated -- presented a particular concern, and, as a result, the Kyrgyz government would always seek to affirm the principle of territorial integrity. ¶4. (C) Security Council Secretary Isakov noted that both U.S. and Russian naval ships were present in the Black Sea and stressed that Kyrgyzstan was concerned that the situation not "escalate". Kyrygzstan would push for issues to be resolved through the "international legal framework." Isakov noted that when the CIS was formed, all member states affirmed the principle of territorial integrity, and he hoped that the upcoming CIS summit would affirm this principle. Isakov stressed the need to get assistance to the people who had suffered. Isakov said that the Kyrgyz government was concerned that any NATO action, such as ships coming into Georgian ports, could lead to an "escalation" of the situation. Charge explained that U.S. ships were delivering humanitarian assistance, and that we were asking the Russians to allow the humanitarian assistance to be delivered. ¶5. (C) Isakov asked for further information about what happened in South Ossetia to spark the conflict. He said that people in Kyrgyzstan lacked "full information" because they received most of their information via Russian sources. He complained that western sources, such as CNN, were only in English, and, therefore, not accessible. ¶6. (C) Comment: All of our Kyrgyz counterparts stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiation, the framework of international law, and the BISHKEK 00000886 002.2 OF 002 principle of territorial integrity. While it is unlikely the Kyrgyz will take a position publicly critical of Russia, neither are they rushing to defend its assault on Georgia. LITZENBERGER