TURKEY'S POSITION ON INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000856 SIPDIS EEB/ESC DANIELLE MONOSSON, OES/EGC GRIFF THOMPSON AND IO/EDA REBECCA WEBBER E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2019 TAGS: ENRG KGHG SENV TU SUBJECT: TURKEY'S POSITION ON INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY REF: SECSTATE 61286 Classified By: econmic counselor Dale Eppler for reasons 1.4 b, d ¶1. (SBU) Econ Counselor delivered reftel points June 19 to Berris Ekinci, Department Head, MFA Energy and Natural Resources Department. Ekinci said Turkey was a founding signatory to IRENA, an organization she described as "helpful and needed." Turkey has not yet ratified the statute, and Ekinci could not say when it might do so. ¶2. (C) The GOT will support the UAE bid to host IRENA, and already has conveyed this decision to the UAE. Ekinci said that the GOT likes the UAE,s "master city" initiative and, as a matter of policy, also does not want to see international organization headquarters being concentrated in only a few areas of the world. Turkey is still considering its preference among the candidates for IRENA Director General. ¶3. (C) On IRENA's future activities, Ekinci said it needs a secretariat and management in place before a workplan can be decided on. Broadly, the GOT expects IRENA to work in the areas of research, technical assistance and fostering cooperation among members. Asked specifically about it being a source of funding, Ekinci said it is "a bit difficult" to see IRENA funding or building projects on its own. She did not discard, however, the possibility that IRENA might create a fund to draw in voluntary contributions. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey JEFFREY