HUNGARY RECEPTIVE TO WAY FORWARD ON THE SEPARATIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000004 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ACE JENI WASHELESKI AND EUR/CE JAMIE LAMORE; PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR ADAM STERLING E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2019 TAGS: PREL GG RS HU SUBJECT: HUNGARY RECEPTIVE TO WAY FORWARD ON THE SEPARATIST REGIONS OF GEORGIA REF: SECSTATE 134559 Classified By: P/E COUNSELOR ERIC V. GAUDIOSI; REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) On December 30, DCM met with MFA Deputy Head of the 2nd European Department, Ambassador Istvan Ijgyarto, to discuss reftel points. ¶2. (C) Commenting on the GoH's opening of their embassy in Tbilisi a few weeks ago, Ijgyarto said they are focusing on the southern Caucasus as their vital interests lie in the proposed Nabucco pipeline. Concerning the strategy on Georgia, Ijgyarto noted the following three points: - Other frozen conflicts in the region should not be neglected to avoid repeats of the Georgian outcome; - A focus should be on creating a democratic and prosperous Georgia, which will allow it to offer a brighter future to the secessionist provinces than they will likely face on their own; - Ijgyarto believes Russia's position could soften some in the mid-term, creating a possibility of greater cooperation. ¶3. (C) Emphasizing that the conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are different, Ijgyarto believes the situation in Abkhazia is more promising. He said that careful attention should be paid to identifying leaders in the secession areas open to dialogue. In total, Ijgyarto expressed support for the concept and direction of the reftel proposals. He stressed the importance of having a coordinated EU-U.S. policy on Georgia, to prevent Russia from exploiting gaps in views among EU member states and between the EU and U.S. positions. ¶4. (C) Comment: As is often the case, we find the MFA's views informed but not necessarily influential. Ijgyarto mentioned several times how limited Hungary's tools were in addressing the situation, but stressed Hungary's interest in being helpful. End Comment. Foley