Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRUSSELS219
2009-02-13 19:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USEU Brussels
Cable title:  

RUSSIA-EU FM TROIKA: HIGHLIGHTS FROM COUNCIL AND

Tags:  PREL RS EUN GG AF SO XF XH 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2473
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHBS #0219/01 0441901
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 131901Z FEB 09
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
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)

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


.