FM STILL UPSET ABOUT RFE/RL BUREAU CHIEF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000813

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM BBG RFE RL AM
SUBJECT: FM STILL UPSET ABOUT RFE/RL BUREAU CHIEF
APPOINTMENT

REF: A. YEREVAN 778

B. YEREVAN 779

C. YEREVAN 811

YEREVAN 00000813 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: AMB Marie L. Yovanovitch, reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: FM Nalbandian reacted sharply to
Ambassador's report of her
conversation with RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin, in which
he had offered to
explore "confidence building measures" to re-establish GOAM
trust in RFE/RL
objectivity. Nalbandian insisted "there was nothing that
could be done" if
RFE/RL declined to fire its brand-new bureau chief, who is
associated with the
opposition. He said Yenokyan was the second person RFE/RL
hired from the circle
of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian, and this was a
"symbolic last step."
He strongly implied that RFE/RL would face retaliation from
the GOAM. Ambassador
pushed back firmly, noting such a rash action would be taken
badly by the USG.
She suggested that Gedmin might visit Yerevan; Nalbandian
said if so he had better
do so "very quickly." END SUMMARY



2. (C) AMBASSADOR UPDATES ON RFE/RL POSITION: On October 6,
Ambassador met
with Foreign Minister Nalbandian and responded to his
concerns regarding Radio
Liberty,s selection of Aghasi Yenokyan as its new Bureau
Chief in Yerevan (refs
B and C). While she made clear that RFE/RL is a separate
organization, distinct
from the U.S. Government, she said she had raised the GOAM,s
concerns with the
President of RFE/RL, Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin. Ambassador stated
that Gedmin said the
hiring decision had been made, and he hoped that Yenokyan
would be judged based on
his performance in his new job. She related that Gedmin said
that if Yenokyan
falls short of RFE/RL standards, the radio would take
corrective measures.
Ambassador conveyed Gedmin,s desire to launch a more
constructive relationship
between the radio and the GOAM and that he had suggested
implementing "confidence-
building measures."


3. (C) NALBANDIAN INCENSED: As Ambassador paused for breath,
Nalbandian flatly
said that if a decision had been made to keep Yenokyan on,
"There was nothing
that could be done." His face now bright red, the Foreign
Minister said that
the issue was not Yenokyan,s performance or his
professionalism, but the
public perception that the U.S. government, which funds
RFE/RL, is using
RFE/RL to signal USG support for opposition leader Levon Ter
Petrossian
(LTP). Nalbandian noted that Yenokyan was the second person
RFE/RL had hired
from the LTP camp, and this was "the symbolic last step."


4. (C) RETALIATION UNSPOKEN: He said that President Sargsian
had told
Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Bryza what would happen, if
the Yenokyan decision
stood. When asked what would happen, the FM did not answer
directly. Instead
he noted that RFE/RL "is not working in Armenia on a legal
basis" and vaguely noted
a problem with the radio frequency. (NOTE: Embassy is
unaware of any legal issues
or problems with the radio frequency. END NOTE)


5. (C) A BAD IDEA: Ambassador pushed back, noting that
RFE/RL operates independently
and its actions should not be interpreted as the actions of
the USG. Moreover,
Armenia, as a country that says it is interested in fully
transitioning to a
democracy, should defend freedom of the press and the need
for many voices
in the nation,s media. She said that the Foreign

YEREVAN 00000813 002.2 OF 002


Minister,s claim that Yenokyan
is being judged not on his performance, but as the symbol of
U.S. support for LTP
would not be well received in Washington. We have made clear
repeatedly, and she was
repeating it again today: The U.S. does not take sides in
Armenia,s internal political
process. Nalbandian said he is a staunch defender of freedom
of the press, but LTP is
manipulating RFE/RL, so that the perception is that the USG
is backing him.
Nalbandian said that he understands that the U.S. and Armenia
each want a strong
relationship with the other. Therefore, the GOAM would have
to take measures regarding
the Yenokyan decision so that there would be no obstacle in
our bilateral relations.


6. (C) COULD AN RFE/RL VISIT HELP?: Ambassador counseled
the Foreign Minister
not to act rashly, noting that if the GOAM did so, it would
create an enormous
bilateral problem -- not the reverse as the FM was
suggesting. She suggested
that Dr. Gedmin meet with GOAM officials in Yerevan, so that
GOAM officials could
be assured that RFE/RL has no ulterior motives in hiring
Yenokyan. Nalbandian
shook his head and said that if Dr. Gedmin were to come, he
should come "very
quickly," because he was sure that the GOAM would take steps
very quickly
to settle the Yenokyan issue.


7. (C) COMMENT: Unfortunately, given the GOAM,s
longstanding distrust of RFE/RL,
we are not surprised that Nalbandian reacted badly, but his
intensity on the point
was dismaying and a bit surprising. Along with his oblique
comments that Gedmin
should come "very quickly" it suggests to us that President
Sargsian is quite upset.
It,s possible that part of his comments were for effect, but
there is no doubt that
the Yenokyan appointment hit a nerve and it is likely that
the GOAM will take
some form of action. Throughout the conversation, Nalbandian
declined
to be specific about what actions would be taken, and at the
end of the day,
we do not believe it will be his decision but the
President,s. However, one
possibility is that the GOAM may deny RFE a radio frequency,
as
Nalbandian said that if action is taken "it won,t be us, but
in the framework
of the law." We interpret this to mean that the GOAM won,t
take an overtly
political action, but will apply some aspect of the law that
they allege RFE is
infringing to either harass RFE or take the radio off the air
completely.


8. (C) COMMENT (CONTINUED): We strongly encourage Dr.Gedmin
to come to Yerevan for
high level meetings with the Armenians as soon as possible.
Even if the GOAM does
not take action against RFE, it is clear that RFE,s
relationship with the
government needs work on an urgent basis.
YOVANOVITCH