CFE: TURKEY'S REACTIONS TO A/S GOTTEMOELLER'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001312 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR VCI/CCA (DAVIS AND PHELAN); EUR/RPM (LAURENDEAU) E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2019 TAGS: KCFE PARM PREL NATO SUBJECT: CFE: TURKEY'S REACTIONS TO A/S GOTTEMOELLER'S INFORMAL DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR ANTONOV REF: SECSTATE 92528 Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Anthony Godfrey, Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) We briefed September 8 Turkey's HLTF Rep and MFA Deputy DG for Nonproliferation and Disarmament Ahmet Muhtar Gun on A/S Gottemoeller's discussions with Russian Disarmament Director Antonov (reftel). Gun expressed appreciation for the briefing and told us that Ambassador Sensoy will meet with A/S Gottemoeller on September 10. He questioned whether it made sense to consider interim implementation of A/CFE while Russia had taken no steps toward fulfilling its part of the bargain. He relayed that a representative from the Russian embassy had met with him recently to ask about Turkey's views regarding specific elements of a possible provisional application of the Adapted CFE Treaty. Gun said he rebuffed the Russian queries and asked the Russian diplomat instead whether Russia had any intention to make progress on other outstanding issues, such as Georgia and Moldova. While not ruling out possible provisional implementation of certain elements of the A/CFE (Gun noted that NATO is effectively already abiding by the flank regime under the A/CFE),he assessed that it would be difficult for Turkey to talk about it without first seeing some movement from Russia on other problems such as Georgia and Moldova: "Russia should not expect to take something without giving something in return." ¶2. (C) Gun also stressed that the flank issue is not unique and should not be considered in isolation from other outstanding CFE issues. He reminded us that Turkey had agreed at the last HLTF with the proposal to have the U.S. broaden the group of Allies which would engage with Russia on issues related to CFE. Gun reaffirmed this decision, but underscored Turkey's expectations that all of the select Allies would participate in all the discussions on all the issues related to CFE. ¶3. (C) Gun said he planned to arrive Brussels on September 15 and will hold consultations on September 16, and looked forward to meeting with the U.S. delegation to discuss this issue further ahead of the September 17 HLTF meeting. This will be Gun's final HLTF meeting before taking on his next assignment as Turkey's ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SILLIMAN "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"