MEDVEDEV'S SECURITY TREATY: SO FAR ALL PLATITUDES,

S E C R E T USNATO 000267 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2017 TAGS: NATO PREL RS SUBJECT: MEDVEDEV'S SECURITY TREATY: SO FAR ALL PLATITUDES, BUT LITTLE SUBSTANCE Classified By: Charge Richard G. Olson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Russian Ambassador Rogozin provided few details on the new Russian Foreign Policy Priority Paper in the July 28 NATO-Russia Council (NRC) meeting, appearing to do little more than read his MFA-prepared talking points. He gave only a passing mention of Medvedev's much anticipated security treaty proposal, which Rogozin claimed would erase the dividing lines in Europe. Ironically, Rogozin blamed the press for inventing the notion that Medvedev's proposal would undermine the existing security institutions. In a unified voice, Allies unequivocally delivered the message that they would not support a treaty that would undermine existing Euro-Atlantic institutions, especially NATO. Several Allies, including the U.S., asked Rogozin about the proposed treaty's implications for the CFE regime. Sidestepping most questions, Rogozin promised a more thorough brief on Medvedev's proposal in the September NRC meeting, but stressed the large degree to which President Medvedev was personally invested in the proposal. Charge Olson refuted Rogozin's claim that NATO's open door policy was destabilizing Georgia and encouraged Russia to end its own attempts to destabilize the situation in Georgia. ¶2. (SBU) Summary Continued: The Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee informed the NRC of the Russian frigate Latniy's upcoming deployment in Operation Active Endeavor (August 11 to September 30),which is twice as long as previous Russian deployments. The NATO Secretary General (SYG) said the Afghan MOI had agreed to send participants to the next counter-narcotics training session to be held in Moscow. Charge Olson thanked Russia for its pre-notification to NORAD of Russia's July 9 long-range bomber mission over the Bering Sea. Rogozin proposed NRC meetings reinforced by experts to develop proposals to enhance cooperation to combat terrorism and maritime piracy. Rogozin thanked the U.S. for supporting his recent visit to Washington and the Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk. He also condemned the recent terrorist bombings in Turkey. END SUMMARY. -------------- ALLIES FOCUS ON MEDVEDEV'S SECURITY PROPOSAL -------------- ¶3. (S/NF) The normally fiery Russian Ambassador rambled through a laundry list of proposals and platitudes from the freshly published Russian Foreign Policy Priorities Paper (FPP) (emailed to EUR/RPM) which was presented by President Medvedev to Russian Ambassadors on July 15. While Rogozin characterized Medvedev's proposal for a new European security treaty as the key to erasing the dividing lines in Europe, he provided no details on the proposed treaty. Rogozin claimed that in the FPP, Russia had rejected all ideological slogans of the past in favor of a foreign policy guided by the country's interests. Emphasizing this point, he argued that, Russia had moved away from the "bloc mentality" to a more flexible "network" approach to tackle global problems, like terrorism, international crime, global poverty (including energy poverty),climate change, and Russia's demographic time bomb. According to Rogozin, Russia would not be drawn in to costly confrontations, but would still oppose the psychology of containment. He called for a streamlining of the international system to make it more geographically representative and emphasized the importance of the G-8, the Troika (Russia, India, and China),and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) for Russian diplomacy. Russia, he said, would seek cooperation with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to guarantee the rights of these countries' Russian-speaking minorities. On CFE, he declared that Russia remained committed to arms control, whether as part of the adapted CFE or another treaty. Lastly, Rogozin made an appeal for more NRC cooperation to limit unpredictability among NRC partners. ¶4. (S/NF) In their interventions, Allies probed for more details on Medvedev's security proposal, while at the same time making clear that they would reject any attempts to undermine existing institutions, particularly NATO. For example, the UK asked on what concrete principals the proposal would be based and whether the proposal would replace or complement existing Euro-Atlantic institutions (e.g., NATO, OSCE, and the EU). Several Allies (the U.S., Czech Republic, Hungary, and Turkey) asked about the proposal's implications for the CFE Treaty. The Netherlands eloquently asked why Allies should consider a new legally-binding structure when Russia was in open breach of another legally-binding agreement -- the CFE regime. Challenging Rogozin's assertions, Canada disavowed the existence of a NATO policy of Russia containment and the suggestion that NATO is a bloc; Canada also noted the transatlantic's link embodied in certain Euro-Atlantic institutions, a point reinforced by the U.S. In addition, Canada asked how democratic principles and human rights fit into the new architecture, if at all. ¶5. (S/NF) While acknowledging the relevance of the questions, Rogozin said he was not yet in a position to provide more details on the Medvedev proposal. He promised to provide additional information on the proposal at the September 24 NATO-Russia Council meeting. He emphasized the large degree to which President Medvedev has taken personal ownership of the proposal and was guiding it through the process. He said Russia launched this proposal in order to "reload the matrix of security" and purge the use of force as well as the threat of the use of force from the European lexicon. On containment of Russia, he said the Russian public fears that NATO is trying to contain Russia with NATO infrastructure creeping closer and closer to the Russian border. He used the opportunity to reiterate Russian opposition to NATO enlargement, arguing that Georgian integration into NATO could destabilize the region. He said that while Moscow does not question the NATO Open Door policy, it does want NATO to act in a manner that is consistent with a continuing NATO-Russia partnership. ¶6. (S/NF) Charge Olson refuted Rogozin's assertion that NATO was destabilizing Georgia and urged Russia to discontinue its own destabilizing actions towards Georgia, drawing on Washington's guidance. Claiming a problem with the interpretation, Rogozin clarified that NATO's offer of future membership, not NATO itself, was destabilizing Georgia, but did not attempt to justify Russian actions. -------------- -------------- Counter-terrorism, Counter-narcotics, and Russian Bombers -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The NRC Ambassadors approved the mid-term reports for the Action Plan on Terrorism and the counter-narcotics training project (emailed to EUR/RPM). The Chairman of the Military Committee reported that the Russian frigate Latniy will participate in Operation Active Endeavor from August 11 through September 30, noting that this is twice as long as Russia's last OAE deployment. Calling for more counter-terrorism cooperation, Rogozin proposed that we hold a reinforced NRC on terrorism and maritime piracy. Turkey and the U.S. praised Rogozin's proposals, while France opposed maritime piracy because it is handled more appropriately in other fora (i.e., the EU). (NOTE: In a separate meeting, the French PolCouns told USNATO D/PolAd that Paris might provide the French Mission some flexibility to deal with piracy with Allies "at 26," but that it was far too early to consider dealing with the issue with the context of the NRC. END NOTE.) ¶8. (SBU) The SYG announced that the problem with lack of Afghan participation in counter-narcotics training project has been resolved (NOTE: The Afghan MOI has refused to participate in the last five training sessions hosted by Russia. The SYG personally intervened with a letter to the Afghan Minister of Interior to break the deadlock. END NOTE) The Afghan government has pledged 15 trainees for the September training session to be held Russia. Charge Olson encouraged the NATO international staff to speed up the lead time in providing identifying information for us to do the Leahy vetting for human rights violations. ¶9. (SBU) Charge Olson acknowledged Russia's pre-notification to NORAD of its July 9 flight in the Bering Sea and encouraged Russia to continue this type of transparency. ¶10. (SBU) Rogozin concluded the meeting by thanking the U.S. for its support during his trip to the United States, stating that he found his briefings at Allied Command Transportation particularly useful. He also expressed condolences for the July 27 terrorist bombings in Turkey. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (S/NF) Rogozin, the diplomat, showed up today but was sabotaged by Rogozin, the showman. Rogozin made every effort to stay positive and encouraged cooperation in today's NRC. Having already read Rogozin's preview of today's meeting in the July 28 NY Times, Allies -- under the SYG's guidance -- had already sharpened their knives in anticipation. Then, contrary to what he told the Times, Rogozin did not focus on the security proposal and blamed the media for suggesting that the proposal would undermine NATO and the OSCE, saying it would be on "their conscience." Much to the ire of Allies, the SYG, and the NATO international staff, Rogozin routinely has previewed and summarized the NRC meetings for the Russian press, but increasingly, he is extending his reach to the international press. END COMMENT. OLSON