GEORGIA DEMARCHES HEARD BY INTERESTED EARS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CHISINAU 000871 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018 TAGS: PREL PBTS RS MD SUBJECT: GEORGIA DEMARCHES HEARD BY INTERESTED EARS Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Kelly A. Keiderling for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) REFS: A) STATE 89769, B) STATE 90978 ¶1. (C) Charge d'Affaires delivered reftel demarches on the Georgian crisis to Foreign Minister Stratan on August 28. The Foreign Minister promised to inform President Voronin of the USG position. Stratan said that Moldova found itself in a delicate situation, needing Russian assistance to resolve the Transnistria conflict while not supporting independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia and condemning the use of force. ¶2. (C) Stratan said that he had consulted with President Voronin about the Moldovan president's August 25 meeting with Russian President Medvedev in Sochi. Voronin had assured Stratan that Voronin and Medvedev had not discussed a Kozak-2 agreement. While Russia prepared to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Stratan noted, Medvedev discussed a peaceful settlement of Transnistria with Voronin. ¶3. (C) Stratan noted that the best way to counter Russian pressure and reintegrate Transnistria into Moldova was for the European Union (EU) to offer Moldova publicly the possibility of future membership in the EU. EU integration need not happen soon, Stratan stated; the mere possibility of future EU membership for Moldova would attract Transnistrians to Moldova and signal to Russia that Moldova was not in Russia's sphere of influence. Stratan specifically asked whether DAS David Merkel could make such a pitch to EU colleagues during the September 8 3-plus-2 meeting in Vienna. Stratan will also raise this issue in Brussels during his September 10 visit there. KEIDERLING