ALT/MFA DROUTSAS OPTIMISTIC ON BALKANS, TURKEY WITH A/S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 001599 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO USOFFICE ALMATY AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/04 TAGS: PREL PHSA PGOV MARR MASS EWWT GR SUBJECT: ALT/MFA DROUTSAS OPTIMISTIC ON BALKANS, TURKEY WITH A/S SHAPIRO ATHENS 00001599 001.2 OF 003 CLASSIFIED BY: Daniel V. Speckhard, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: PM A/S Shapiro used an October 22 meeting with Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitri Droutsas to encourage closer U.S.-Greek cooperation in counter-piracy, urging Greece to sign the New York Declaration on best practices and to try piracy suspects in Greek courts. He also thanked the Greeks for their plans to deploy their Kabul-based ISAF engineering battalion to RC-West (Herat),and commended PM Papandreou's October 9 trip to Istanbul, where he met with Turkish PM Erdogan. Alt/FM Droutsas stated that Papandreou had gone to the Southeastern Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) meeting in Istanbul to send signals to both Turkey and the countries of the Balkans. He stated his government will be forthcoming towards Skopje, but noted familiar Greek redlines. He and Papandreou want to recreate the positive atmosphere with Turkey from the PM's 1999-2004 tenure as Foreign Minister, and feel that Turkey is open to it. He characterized the PM's October 19 trip to Cyprus as largely symbolic. Droutsas also made a pitch for bolstering Greece's role as an intermediary in the Middle East. He told A/S Shapiro and the Ambassador that he is working hard on OSCE issues prior to the December Ministerial, and is looking forward to the Secretary's visit. PM Papandreou appreciated very much the President's early congratulatory phone call following his electoral victory, and has made visiting Washington a priority. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- -- I Still Need to Study Up on Piracy and Afghanistan ... -------------- -------------- -- ¶2. (C) A/S Shapiro told Alternate Foreign Minister (Alt/FM) Droutsas that he wanted to partner with Greece on issues of common strategic concern. Two of these concerns were piracy off the coast of Somalia, and our mission in Afghanistan. A/S Shapiro stated that the size of Greece's shipping industry and its importance to the economies of both Greece and the world made Greece a key player in the struggle against piracy, and stressed the United States' desire to work closely with Greece in this area. He urged Droutsas to take a close look at the New York Declaration on best practices, with an eye to signing at the January plenary of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS),and thanked the Greeks for their frigate contributions to NATO's Operation Shield and the EU's Operation Atalanta missions in the Gulf of Aden. He stressed the need for Greece to prosecute piracy suspects in Greek courts when either Greek-flagged or Greek-owned vessels have been the victims of piracy, and highlighted U.S. effort to prosecute a suspect from the Maersk Alabama incident in our courts. Droutsas agreed the issue of piracy was of great importance for Greece, but admitted he was not yet "a real expert" on the issue. While acknowledging that "the devil is in the details," he invited Shapiro to remain in touch on the Declaration signing issue, and expressed confidence that a solution could be found. ¶3. (C) On Afghanistan, A/S Shapiro linked the massive influx of illegal Afghan immigrants to Greece each year to the need for stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and encouraged Droutsas to see that success in Afghanistan was important for Greece's national security. He thanked the Greeks for their plans to deploy their ISAF engineering battalion from Kabul to Herat in RC-West and to deploy an OMLT in Kabul, and encouraged them to follow through quickly on these commitments. Droutsas, noting that he only been on the job for two weeks and needed to continue to study some issues, agreed on Afghanistan's significance. ATHENS 00001599 002.2 OF 003 -------------- -------------- But Let Me Tell You About the Balkans and Turkey -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Turning to the areas where he has focused the bulk of his energies during his initial tenure as Alt/FM, Droutsas gave a detailed outline of his views and those of the Prime Minister toward the Balkans and Turkey, and what they had done during their first fourteen days in office. Papandreou went to the SEDM meeting in Istanbul not only as a gesture toward Turkey, Droutsas stated, but to signal the importance of the Balkans in Greece's foreign policy. Papandreou hopes to gain for Greece again "the voice and presence it deserves, especially in our neighborhood," he explained. He pointed to the 2014 target accession date of all Balkans countries into the EU announced by Papandreou in Istanbul, and stated that Greece seeks to revive momentum toward this, a necessity for stability in the region. Droutsas assured A/S Shapiro that Greece seeks to work closely with the U.S. toward this goal, and wants to work intensively on the "FYROM" name issue, using the carrot of EU accession to settle the name issue permanently. "We are open-minded in all respects, and the Prime Minister is a skilled diplomat," he stated, "but we need the other side to show the same open-mindedness." Droutsas reiterated Athens' redlines on the name issue: a single name with a geographic indicator, used "erga omnes" internationally. ¶5. (C) Droutsas said that Papandreou wanted to send a message to the Turkish people, as well, when he went to Istanbul, that "Papandreou is back." Droutsas expressed his belief that the PM is well-known and appreciated by the Turkish people for his past work and positive EU accession views. He stated that the PM had a good meeting with Erdogan, and was heartened by the fact that Erdogan traveled immediately to Istanbul when he learned that Papandreou was coming. Droutsas said the Greek government hoped to recreate the positive atmosphere of 1999-2004, and that although it is still too early to judge, he felt that Erdogan appeared to share that view during his meeting with Papandreou. A/S Shapiro welcomed PM Papandreou's travel to Turkey. ¶6. (C) Noting the conversation earlier in the day with Alt/MOD Beglitis on Greece's economic situation, Ambassador Speckhard asked Droutsas for his insights into the PM's views on Greece's external threats and defense needs in the face of budgetary pressures. Droutsas was frank in stating that Greece's public finances needed to be "reordered," that the process has already begun, and that military expenses will be affected, as well. "But it is the same as 2004," he said, "we want a foreign policy that enables both Greece and Turkey to cut military expenses, and to enable us to transfer those savings to other areas, such as healthcare and education." Ambassador Speckhard expressed optimism drawing on the Franco-German model, to which Droutsas replied that "it takes two to tango." -------------- Let Us Help in the Middle East -------------- ¶7. (C) Alt/FM Droutsas made a strong pitch for greater Greek ATHENS 00001599 003.2 OF 003 involvement in resolving thorny Middle East issues, asserting that Greece's "traditional ties" as well as those of Papandreou and his family put Greece in a strong position to convey and receive messages to and from many Arab countries. He expressed a desire for Greece to "be useful for the international community" in the region, and stated that Papandreou was trusted by many in the region due to his work as Foreign Minister during Greece's 2003 EU Presidency, and as President of the Socialist International (SI). Droutsas said that Papandreou has strong relations with Pakistani President Zardari and Indian National Congress Chair Sonia Gandhi, and had brought them together in his SI role following the Mumbai attacks. He also noted that Papandreou had engaged in "mediation efforts" within the SI with Iran on its nuclear program. -------------- -- Cyprus, OSCE, and Visits Visits Visits -------------- -- ¶8. (C) Droutsas characterized Papandreou's October 19 visit to Cyprus as valuable, but largely symbolic, expressing that Cyprus was "deep in our hearts." Droutsas assured A/S Shapiro that Greece was working hard on the substance of the OSCE Ministerial in early December, and wanted a good outcome. Greece would welcome any U.S. visitors before then, he said, and the MFA would be willing to send people to Washington to discuss OSCE, as well. Droutsas announced that he and the government were very much looking forward to the Secretary's travel to Athens for the OSCE Ministerial; A/S Shapiro noted the warm relationship that the Secretary had with the Greek-American community in New York while she was a U.S. Senator. Droutsas pressed for a visit to Washington for PM Papandreou. Papandreou has made this visit a priority, he told A/S Shapiro. He appreciated very much that the President was among the first to call him to congratulate him on his electoral victory, and had taken it warmly as a message that the U.S. desires close cooperation with Greece. ¶9. (U) This cable has been cleared by A/S Shapiro. Speckhard