ARMENIA SAYS NO TO PALESTINIAN GUANTANAMO DETAINEE

S E C R E T YEREVAN 000892

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS PTER PHUM KAWK KISL KPAO AM
SUBJECT: ARMENIA SAYS NO TO PALESTINIAN GUANTANAMO DETAINEE

REF: STATE 106853

Classified By: A/DCM Stephen Banks, reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (S) Poloff met with Dziunik Aghajanian October 17 to
deliver reftel demarche and solicit Armenia's interest in
resettling to Armenia the Palestinian Guantanamo detainee
Asim M. Al-Aasmi. Aghajanian said Armenia is unable to
resettle such cases.


2. (S) Aghajanian said Armenia's refusal in such cases had
both political and administrative motives. First, Armenia
has become very sensitive in the post-9/11 world to the
welfare of Armenian minority communities residing in the
Middle East, as Christian minorities in majority Muslim
societies. Accordingly, the GOAM avoids actions that could
potentially add to the threats that Diaspora Armenians
already face. For this reason, Armenia cannot accept the
Palestinian detainee in question. Armenia's official policy
in the Arab-Israeli conflict is neutrality, added Aghajanian,
which is another reason Armenia would not want to be viewed
as taking sides in this particular case.


3. (S) Armenia is also very reluctant to resettle any
refugees in light of the administrative burden that
resettlement imposes on Armenia's already strained national
resources. Aghajanian said that Armenia already has its
hands full resettling Armenian refugees from Iraq, which is
taxing the GOAM's national budget. In addition, the
resettlement of one individual, either refugee or asylee, is
usually just the door-opener to follow-to-join family
members. Aghajanian said Armenia simply cannot cope with any
additional cases that could lead down this path.
YOVANOVITCH