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