FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM TO SOCHI COMMITMENTS: GOOD

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001832 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2018 TAGS: PREL KDEM PGOV PHUM RS SUBJECT: FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM TO SOCHI COMMITMENTS: GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS REF: STATE 67965 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Daniel A. Russell. Reasons 1.4(b)(d) (C) On July 26, Charge delivered to acting Deputy Foreign Minister Neverov (DFM Kislyak is in Japan) the US proposal for a follow up discussion on respect for the rule of law, international law, human rights, tolerance of diversity, political freedom and a free market approach to economic policy and practices as stated in the Strategic Framework Declaration announced during the presidential summit in Sochi. Charge drew upon the points in reftel to explain this initiative in detail. Neverov said that the US proposal would receive careful consideration by the Russian side and an answer would be forthcoming on scope, participants, agenda and timing. While a formal Russian response would take some time, Neverov made several preliminary observations. The Russian Government is quite satisfied with the results of the nongovernmental democracy and human rights dialogue between Russian Federation Ombudsman Lukin and the Carnegie endowment's Jessica Matthews. Lukin and Matthews have convened the forum and made recommendations; Lukin has access to both the presidential administration and the President personally. Neverov therefore expected Russian interlocutors to question the "value added" of a government-to-government track on largely the same issues. He also questioned the inclusion of "a free market approach to economic policy and practices"; this would duplicate the work of another Sochi initiative, the government-to-government economic dialogue chaired by Under Secretary Jeffery and DFM Denisov. On timing, Neverov doubted that a late July timeframe would be doable, given the G-8 Summit and the MFA,s heavy schedule of other international commitments. RUSSELL