RUSSIAN MFA REQUESTS COOPERATION ON BERING STRAIT

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SUBJECT: RUSSIAN MFA REQUESTS COOPERATION ON BERING STRAIT
INITIATIVES

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*** CABLE TRANSMITTED UNSUCCESSFULLY ON APRIL 29, 2009.

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Head of Bilateral Relations at the MFA U.S.
Desk on April 17 raised several Bering Strait issues, primarily
extending the existing visa-free travel regime to all permanent
residents of Chukotka and Alaska, agreeing to create a joint
protected territory, and reviving the Bering Straits Commission.
Noting that Foreign Minister Lavrov raised Bering Strait issues with
Secretary Clinton when they met on March 6 in Geneva, he said we
needed to work expeditiously to achieve some sort of deliverable by
the time of the July presidential meeting in Moscow. The issues
have been discussed before; on the whole, they are not politically
controversial. However, they have stumbled on various bureaucratic
hurdles which have prevented progress. Joint efforts to advance
Bering Strait issues could serve as a compelling demonstration of
progress in the bilateral relationship. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) In his first-ever request to meet with the Science and
Technology Counselor, Alexander Zakharov, head of bilateral
relations at the MFA U.S. Desk, on April 17 discussed several Bering
Strait issues, chiefly visa-free travel for residents of Chukotka
and Alaska; agreeing to create a joint nature park; and reviving the
Bering Straits Commission. He noted that Foreign Minister Lavrov
raised Bering Strait issues with Secretary Clinton when they met on
March 6 in Geneva and urged that we cooperate to achieve some sort
of deliverable by the July presidential meeting in Moscow.

Visa Regime: Extend to All Chukotkans and Alaskans
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3. (SBU) Amending the existing visa-free travel regime for
indigenous residents of the border areas of Chukotka and Alaska was
Zakharov's top issue. The MFA proposed to extend visa-free travel
to all permanent residents of Chukotka and Alaska, regardless of
ethnicity. Zakharov said that the GOR first tabled this proposal in
1997, but it stalled because there was no response from the USG. He
said the MFA Consular Department supports the proposal, and that the
MFA will be able to persuade the security services to agree as well.
He said regularly scheduled commercial flights ceased because they
were not economically feasible, but indigenous people still benefit
from the regime to travel the 12 kilometers that separate the two
countries by boat. A commercial company is exploring the
feasibility of flying from Chukotka's regional capital Anadyr to
Anchorage, and then potentially to another point in the United
States, and is working with Alaskan authorities and the FAA.


4. (SBU) Four border posts exist on the Russian side, two of which
are seldom used. Although he has no statistics on travel for the
past three years, Zakharov believes more Chukotkans still travel to
Alaska than Alaskans travel to Chukotka. We tried to manage
expectations by reminding Zakharov that changes in visa regimes can
take years of negotiation, and that we are unlikely to make any
progress on this issue by July. Zakharov countered that Chukotka
and Alaska are so sparsely populated that agreeing on a visa-free
regime, which might be able to be extended even further, should be
achievable by July. He proposed including a representative from
Chukotka in the summit meetings.

Joint Nature Park "Beringia"
--------------


5. (SBU) The second item on Zakharov's list was resuming a dialogue
to establish a joint "Beringia" protected territory on either side
of the Bering Strait with national park status. Zakharov thought
that the visa-free regime would do much to stimulate tourism and the
development of such a park. He acknowledged that the United States
and Russia have been discussing a joint park since the late 1980s.
Russia has a cross-border park with Finland that could serve as a
model. Zakharov explained that while the Alaska state government
endorsed this proposal, the move had run into snags on the Russian
side because the protected territory in Chukotka has only provincial
status, not federal as does the park in Alaska. Creating a national
park in Chukotka was on the Soviet, then Russian Ministry of
Environment's agenda, but not at the top. Because Chukotka
authorities wanted to keep the park within their jurisdiction, plans
went nowhere. (Comment: Transferring the Chukotka protected
territory to federal jurisdiction would entail additional federal

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expenses which the GOR may be unwilling to bear in the current
economic environment. End comment.)

Reviving the Bering Straits Regional Commission
-------------- --


6. (SBU) Zakharov noted that the fate of these initiatives depends
in large part on the efforts of members of the Bering Straits
Regional Commission, which has the responsibility for shepherding
these types of proposals. The Commission has not met since 2004.
The GOR two months ago named a new representative by the name of
Gorenshteyn. Zakharov stated that the Russian side had lost touch
with the U.S. representative and expressed a desire to resume
contact. He emphasized that while there may not be any inherent
policy impediments to moving these ideas forward, there are
significant bureaucratic hurdles, and movement depends upon
consistent motivation and attention on the part of the Commission.

Other Issues Previously Discussed
--------------


7. (SBU) The remainder of the list Zakharov passed us follows.
Zakharov said that these issues had been discussed by Chukotka and
Alaska representatives in the past:

-- Joint studies and development of oil and gas deposits in Chukchi
Sea;

-- Establishing regular air connection between Alaska and Chukotka;

-- Establishing air and sea transport infrastructure between U.S.
West coast and Russian Far East;

-- Cooperation of Russian and American emergency services, including
Russian Border Guard Service and U.S. Coast Guard;

-- Establishing regular mail connection between Russia and the U.S.
through Alaska and Chukotka;

-- Joint use of the ice-free port of Adak in the Bering Sea
(Aleutian Islands) for petroleum storage and transshipment
(originally proposed by former Alaska Senate President Ben
Stevens);

-- Simplifying Alaska-Chukotka trade and customs regime;

-- Cooperation through the International Whaling Commission,
including among indigenous sea hunters;

-- Joint monitoring of whale hunting quotas;

-- Cooperation under bilateral Chukotka-Alaska Polar Bear
Agreement;

-- Joint scientific research on Global Climate Change, including
changes affecting traditional nature utilization (changes in
habitats of marine mammals, routes and times of migration of marine
mammals and birds),as well as other scientific programs;

-- Joint studies and monitoring of Bering Sea fisheries;

-- Simplifying visits by cruise vessels to populated areas of
Chukotka, opening of closed ports on the Chukotka coast for docking
of cruise vessels, joint tourist programs (Note: Zakharov said that
problems with cruises in the past occurred when ship operators had
not properly completed all documents in advance. End note.); and

-- Cultural connections between Chukotka and Alaska.


8. (SBU) COMMENT: The Arctic is a promising area of bilateral and
multilateral cooperation for the U.S. and Russia, as we have
highlighted several times in recent months in discussions with our
contacts and in public fora. Most of the items on the MFA list are
not politically controversial, but have stumbled on various
bureaucratic hurdles, as well as a lack of political will, that have
prevented progress. The Russian government would welcome efforts on
the USG's part to advance Bering Strait issues, and visible success
could serve as a compelling demonstration of progress in the
bilateral relationship.

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