TAJIKISTAN: RUSSIA - GEORGIA CONFLICT DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 001094 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2018 TAGS: MARR PREL GG TI SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: RUSSIA - GEORGIA CONFLICT DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: SECSTATE 89769 Classified By: Ambassador Tracey A. Jacobson, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On August 21 Pol/Econ Chief delivered reftel demarche to Husrav Nosiri, MFA Director for North America and European Affairs (Assistant Secretary equivalent). Nosiri accepted the demarche with the comment that Tajikistan was unlikely to take any public stance on the conflict between Georgia and Russia. "We are in a difficult position" he said, as the conflict involved competing principles of territorial integrity and national self-determination. Nosiri could not say whether Tajikistan would convey any of our concerns to Russia in private, but did offer that he did not believe the conflict would have any significant impact on either Tajik-Russian or Tajik-United States relations. ¶2. (C) Comment: We expect Tajikistan to remain silent about the Georgian-Russian conflict, as it has nothing to gain from taking a stand on this matter. End Comment. JACOBSON