RUSSIA-EU FM TROIKA: HIGHLIGHTS FROM COUNCIL AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000219 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2019 TAGS: PREL RS EUN GG AF SO XF XH SUBJECT: RUSSIA-EU FM TROIKA: HIGHLIGHTS FROM COUNCIL AND COMMISSION PARTICIPANTS REF: A. MOSCOW 357 ¶B. PRAGUE 88 ¶C. STATE 13424 ¶D. DAVIS/EUR-ERA EMAILS 11 AND 12 FEB. Classified By: USEU/POL M-C Chris Davis: Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: According to European Commission (RELEX) and Council Secretariat participants at the EU-Russia FM Troika meeting in Moscow February 11, Russian FonMin Sergey Lavrov will soon travel to the Middle East in advance of an international conference Moscow is determined to host. Also, the Russians expressed a willingness to train Afghan police outside Afghanistan, offered to help with supply problems, and disavowed any connection with the Kyrgyz decision regarding Manas. On the Georgian crisis, FM Lavrov offered to help reduce Abkhaz resistance to a UNOMIG roll-over, which he called a "fair deal." High Representative Javier Solana pushed to keep the Russians committed to the Geneva talks. The Russians said they could consider an MOU with the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia. The EU expressed a willingness to discuss President Medvedev's European security proposals, but not without the U.S. The Russians are nervous about the EU's Eastern Partnership Initiative, but may seek some involvement, especially where it overlaps with the CSTO. Moscow spoke of de-conflicting its anti-piracy presence off Somalia with that of others. Moscow seems content to have resumed negotiations on a new Cooperation Agreement with the EU. The EU Troika delegation, led by Czech FM Karel Schwarzenberg (REF C),also included HR Solana, External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and Swedish FM Carl Bildt. End Summary -------------- New Cooperation Agreement, and the Neighborhood -------------- ¶2. (C) Russia and the EU have resumed negotiations on a new agreement to replace the 1997 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. (Note: Negotiations had been postponed because of the Georgia conflict, but resumed per a 10 November 2008 GAERC decision. End Note) At the February 11 Foreign Ministers' Troika meeting in Moscow, the Russians reportedly pressed hard for more visa facilitation and generally advocated making progress in the negotiations, but were less inclined to set actual deadlines. According to our Commission (RELEX) contact, the Russian side dislikes references in the draft agreement to "common neighborhood" and "common values;" however, FM Sergey Lavrov ultimately conceded use of the latter terminology. ¶3. (C) As for economic cooperation, the Russian delegation, which seemed to have a more restricted mandate, expressed a preference for a light framework agreement. The Russians accepted including energy security and diversified supply routes in the discussions; however, for Moscow that means Nordstream and South Stream, according to our Council Secretariat contact. The Russians insisted that any energy early-warning mechanism involve transit countries. Our Commission-RELEX contact told us the growing impact of the current financial crisis is evident in Russian reasoning. ¶4. (C) The Russians exhibited some nervousness about the EU's Eastern Partnership Initiative (EPI),which is intended to nurture westward leanings in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and, ultimately, Belarus. According to our Commission source, the Russians insist that the EU not ignore the strong ties these target countries have with Russia. They do not like the EPI's potential to seduce the target countries; neither, however, do they want to be left out. They seem to be willing to cooperate with EPI on a case-by-case basis, which our Commission contact said would be like any other third country's involvement, be it Turkey or the U.S., for example. The Russians specifically cautioned against any kind of language or initiative which would seem to mesh with NATO expansion. "We put that (concern) to bed," said our Commission source. Our Council Secretariat source said Moscow asked for parallel, rather than competing, requirements for the countries (Armenia and Belarus) with both EPI and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) membership. -------------- "European Security Treaty" -------------- ¶5. (C) On the Medvedev security architecture proposal, the Russians said they would like to convene (or see convened) a high-level meeting at the deputy-minister level of all interested countries and organizations (includingQU, NATO, BRUSSELS 00000219 002 OF 003 SCO, CSTO, OSCE). FM Lavrov plans to come to Brussels to pitch the proposal in a major speech. Lavrov said he sees the proposal as Helsinki-plus, not Helsinki II, ensuring the security of everyone. The EU side answered that it is willing to discuss the proposal, but not without the U.S.(REF B). Our Council Secretariat source said the Russians accept that. In answer to our question, both Council and Commission contacts said that a so-called "steering group" concept was not raised by the Russians. -------------- Georgia -------------- ¶6. (C) Foreign Minister Lavrov opened the topic by presenting a litany of Georgian violations of the August-September cease-fire agreements. Our Council Secretariat contact characterized a previous such list as "not particularly accurate." The Russians did not exclude the idea of drawing up an MOU with the EU Monitoring Mission, as the EUMM had done with the Georgians. The Russian side said the EUMM should continue functioning, so as to monitor the Georgians. Both sides expected that talks in Geneva (February 18) will produce an expert agreement on an incident prevention mechanism. The Russians said the Geneva process should end in summer; however, High Representative Solana pushed back, saying there needed to be real results regarding actual conflicts. ¶7. (C) The Russian side agreed to a four-month technical roll-over, with reconfirmation of the 1994 Moscow Agreement, for UNOMIG. Abkhaz objection to that roll-over seemed to have taken the Russians by surprise. According to our Council contact, FM Lavrov said, "We will speak to the Abkhaz and tell them this is a fair deal." According to our RELEX contact, the Russians admitted having an interest in keeping the UNOMIG and OSCE missions, for they help "educate the people" of the two "republics," as the Russians called Abkhazia and South Ossetia. "We can't do it all ourselves," Lavrov reportedly said. The Russians added that the South Ossetians needed to be won over about OSCE, however. ¶8. (C) According to our Council Secretariat contact, FM Lavrov got genuinely worked up about the fate of refugees and IDPs, and made the only speech of the day on that subject. On "double access" for humanitarian assistance to South Ossetia from Tbilisi and Vladikavkaz, the Russians said they cannot decide for the Ossetians, for whom memories are still fresh. Our Council contact said the Russians basically said, "Work with them. They may come around." Regarding Russian military presence in the breakaway provinces, Lavrov said it was for the security of those populations. -------------- Middle East -------------- ¶9. (C) FM Lavrov told the Troika he will soon go to the region. He reportedly said Russia hoped for a Palestinian unity government based on a Palestinian Authority platform, which Hamas will have to accept. Our Council Secretariat source confirmed Lavrov used the word "unity," adding that he spoke in English. The Russians, both contacts said, are determined to hold a Moscow conference on the Middle East. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶10. (C) According to our EU contacts, the Russians are concerned that things could get seriously out of hand. They advocated peeling off the moderate Taliban who want nothing to do with Al Qaeda. Afghanistan is important for the Russians, because of the drug trade and threatened instability in Central Asia. They want to participate on (not in) Afghanistan, with police training, for example, perhaps in the framework of EUPOL, according to our Council Secretariat contact. There will be a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in late March in Moscow on Afghanistan. The Russians claimed not to be linked to the Manas decision, but listed the reasons prompting the Kyrgyz President wanting to close it (accidents, fuel spills, etc). FM Lavrov said Russia was ready to help resolve the problem its closure might represent. -------------- Somalia -------------- ¶11. (C) Our Council Secretariat source said there was a BRUSSELS 00000219 003 OF 003 discussion about Somali piracy wherein the Russians said they wanted to "de-conflict" their presence in the waters off the Horn of Africa with other maritime operations there, including that of the EU's anti-piracy operation Atalanta. MURRAY .