EXBS: AZERBAIJAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE - MAY

UNCLAS BAKU 000483 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC - YWONG, ACHURCH, JHARTSHORN DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - KBILGE CBP/INA FOR CSTALLWORTH, RWATT, KCHAISSON, CDONOFRIO USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY, RTALLEY DOC FOR PETERSEN-BEARD COAST GUARD FOR SHABTEMICHAEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP AJ SUBJECT: EXBS: AZERBAIJAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE - MAY ¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: ¶A. The refusal of the host government to submit information required for Leahy human rights vetting continues to threaten EXBS funded training events. ¶B. Land Border Advisor David Hall was on personal leave from 9 May to 30 May. ¶C. The Maritime Advisor (MA) will be departing post on 20 June and the position is being transferred to Tbilisi. The new MA is scheduled to arrive in Tbilisi in early July. ¶D. The Maritime Program Manager, Ms. Tarlan Gahramanova, has gone on maternity leave and is expected to be out of the office for approximately six months. II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD: 11-12 May: The MA participated in three days of a Joint Azerbaijani Navy/Coast Guard Counter-Terrorism Joint CONOPS development workshop sponsored by the Office of Defense Cooperation. 13-15 May: The MA traveled to Tbilisi Georgia to meet with the incoming advisor, LT Dan Owen. 19 May: The MA, as part of the Embassy's Peace and Security Working Group, met with Maria Longi, the EUR-ACE's new FSA Director. The principle topic of conversation was difficulties in the execution of training programs due to the Government of Azerbaijan's (GOAJ) refusal to provide information for Leahy vetting. On the 21st of May the MA, with an ODC representative, accompanied Ms Longi on a visit to a recently upgraded Navy Command Center. The MA attempted to arrange visits to State Border Service (SBS)-Coast Guard (CG) sites but the short notice of the visit and the refusal of the SBS to meet with visitors without official coordination through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prevented the scheduling of any visit to SBS-CG facilities. 29 May: The MA met with General Taghizade, Chief of International Relations for the SBS. The MA advisor requested a meeting with General Mehdiyev, Chief of the SBS-CG, but he was not in attendance. The primary purpose of the meeting was to solicit feedback from the General Mehdiyev on the types of training that would be most valuable to the SBS CG. Unfortunately, without the presence of General Mehdiyev, no substantive discussions were had. 2-4 June: Both the Land Border and Maritime Advisors attended the annual Advisors' Conference held in Tbilisi. ¶B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD: The two Coast Guard Officers receiving long-term training in the United States have completed the Officer Indoctrination Course. They are currently enrolled in Boarding Officer School and will then attend basic seamanship and navigation training. ¶C. ITEMS DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD: Description US $ Value Executed repairs of the x-ray van in Samur. Caterpillar C9 Engine Spares/Consumables $19,979.26 ¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE: TRAINING: The International Border Interdiction II course scheduled for 6 to 10 July was cancelled due to the refusal of the Foreign Ministry to provide information needed for Leahy human rights vetting. The GOAJ will send three representatives to the 10th annual International Export Control Conference in Istanbul from 25 to 27 June. Those participants will be Mr. Fikrat Karimov of the Cabinet of Ministers, Mr. Anar Mammadov of the State Customs Committee, and Aykhan Alizadeh of the Foreign Ministry. The GOAJ will send five individuals to the United States on a Targeting and Risk Management International Visitors Program from 25 July to 1 August. The purpose of this exchange is to provide technical assistance to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan as they prepare to launch their own national targeting and risk management center later this year. The EXBS office is still waiting to receive the list of names of those Customs officers who will participate in this visit. EQUIPMENT - Procurement in process: Description US $ Value XRF Equipment* $30,000.00 MerCruiser Engine Repair Tools $795.81 Repair Parts & consumables for KZ PB Engine** $6,988.82 * This equipment was donated to SCC by DOE INECP and the EXBS office is working on customs clearance paperwork. ** EXBS Baku is not pursuing further repairs to the engines on the Kazakhstan Patrol Boat. The KZ Maritime Border Guard has refused access of to the vessel by the manufacturer of the vessel's engine making continued work impossible. ¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY: Local media reported a seizure of "containers of uranium" in the capital Baku. Initial reports from our GOAJ interlocutors at the Institute of Radiation Problems indicate that this was a case of the police incorrectly identifying the substance and that no uranium was seized. POC for this report is David Hall, EXBS Land Border Advisor and LT Michael Fisher, EXBS Maritime Advisor. DERSE