FM STEINMEIER URGES RUSSIA TO SEIZE THIS HISTORIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001542 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON ENRG GM RS SUBJECT: FM STEINMEIER URGES RUSSIA TO SEIZE THIS HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY REF: MOSCOW 1120 Classified By: Acting Pol M/C David Kostelancik for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On a June 10 visit to Moscow, German FM Steinmeier met separately with President Medvedev, PM Putin, and FM Lavrov. According to the German embassy, the visit bolstered the strategic partnership, with Steinmeier using the opportunity to press Russia on nuclear disarmament negotiations with the U.S. He also linked Russian willingness to compromise on a draft UNOMIG renewal to Western willingness to engage on Medvedev's European security proposal. Russia and Germany shared common views on Iran, the DPRK, and piracy, although the German diplomats noted that Russia admitted Iran was farther along on ballistic missile development than they had predicted. Steinmeier agreed with GOR officials that Ukraine needed to be more transparent in order to avoid a future gas crisis and that Medvedev's energy security proposal could help start a dialogue to enhance the existing Energy Charter Treaty. There was no review of the Nord Stream project during this visit, but the diplomats attempted to counter recent criticism of the project's environmental impact. Steinmeier used the visit to bolster a new theme in bilateral cooperation, "partnership for modernization," which attempts to harness civil-society, scientific, and business cooperation. End Summary. "A Strategic and Important Relationship" -------------- ¶2. (C) German embassy officials told us that FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier's in separate meetings June 10 with President Medvedev, PM Putin, and FM Lavrov touched four areas: foreign and security policy, the economic crisis, energy security, and a bilateral "partnership for modernization." Steinmeier was accompanied by science and business delegations, who had separate itineraries. The German embassy stressed that Germany and Russia had a "strategic and important relationship," with sufficient trust to allow a frank discussion of issues, and that Germany viewed Russia as an important partner for resolving international and regional issues. Steinmeier also met with critical Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitriy Muratov and former Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss the human rights and political situation in Russia. Foreign and Security Policy: Arms Control, CFE, Georgia, DPRK, Iran, Piracy, Afghanistan -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) German diplomats told us that Steinmeier delivered a "strong message" to Medvedev, Putin, and Lavrov that Russia "should seize this historic moment (Obama's upcoming visit and ongoing post-START negotiations) to make process on arms control and disarmament." Medvedev and Lavrov separately assured Steinmeier that they hoped to achieve "positive results" on a post-START agreement by the end of the year, with Medvedev stressing that "a breakthrough would be good for all parties." Steinmeier thanked Lavrov for Russia's participation in the June 9-10 experts conference in Berlin on the CFE treaty and expressed the hope that it would lead to a new and re-energized approach. ¶4. (C) During an impromptu press conference, Putin was asked by a German journalist if he could envision Russia's security without nuclear weapons. Putin replied "why do we need nuclear weapons? Have we invented them? Have we ever used them? If those who made the atomic bomb are ready to give them up,... we will welcome and facilitate the process." German diplomats assured us that this issue was not raised in private between the parties, and interpreted that Putin meant that all nuclear armed countries would need to jointly disarm. ¶5. (C) Steinmeier pressed Russian officials to be flexible on a renewed UNSC mandate for UNOMIG, underlining that a new agreement should be in place before the June 15 expiration of the current mandate. St{"oK6[Russia wanted a constructive dialogue, but that it had its redlines on the question of Georgia's territorial integrity and the name of the mission. Steinmeier pressed back that there was already progress at the Geneva talks, and that a compromise would demonstrate Russia's willingness to dialogue. The diplomats said that there were no new details on the security proposal during MOSCOW 00001542 002 OF 002 this round of meetings, saying it was "still vague." ¶6. (C) Medvedev and Lavrov shared with Steinmeier a "sober analysis" of the situation with Iran and said that Iran was making better than expected progress on the range of its ballistic missiles. All sides agreed to continue close cooperation with the E3 3. The German embassy said that the Russian and German analysis of the DPRK nuclear threat "matched," and that all were very concerned. Steinmeier also called Medvedev's proposal for an international tribunal to try captured pirates a "good way forward" and hoped to persuade some more skeptical states. Lavrov said that Kenya had agreed to host the tribunal, but that it still needed international support and financing. Steinmeier thanked GOR officials for their assistance in the German purchase of two Russian medical evacuation helicopters for delivery to the Afghan national police force. Energy Security: Ukraine and Nord Stream -------------- ¶7. (C) According to German di?Q+Q(+zxT[QQz&the GOR officials agreed that in order to avoid another gas crisis, more transparency waQneeded regarding Ukrainian pipelines and storage facilities. The diplomats admitted that the EUQnergy Charter Treaty was not ideal because it lacked the participation of major producers. However, they were strongly critical of President Medvedev's proposal on energy security, saying that the GOR had failed to consult partners, it was too comprehensive, and did not adequately address ownership. Steinmeier told GOR officials that it would be a mistake to leave the Charter Treaty as the final EU word on energy security and that Medvedev's proposal was a starting point for discussion. The diplomats justified to us that the German government's goal was to subject "sovereign behavior to a legal framework," and they noted that Ukraine would figure prominently at the EU's June 19 summit. ¶8. (C) The German embassy assessed that "Russia is weaker in the energy field than we perceive," saying that Russia "learned the hard way" the price of allowing a transit country to disrupt its relations with Europe. They continued that driving Russian motivations was a "desire to avoid blame." That said, the failure of Russia to collaborate on its proposal in advance of Medvedev's April 20 announcement in Helsinki was "not ideal" (reftel). "Germany and Italy would have been obvious partners, but there was no outreach," they said. The diplomats also said that Russia had a point that Ukraine did not adhere to the Energy Charter Treaty, to which it is also a party, and the EU did not address Ukrainian non-compliance. "Why should Russia sign up for an unbalanced document?" he asked. Partnership for Modernization -------------- ¶9. (C) In the last year, Russia and Germany have worked to develop a "partnership for modernization," a concept Steinmeier unveiled during his visit to Yekaterinburg in ¶2008. While this is intended as a broad-based initiative, on this visit Steinmeier focused on energy efficiency, the "topping out ceremony" for a children's oncology hospital (built by a German firm),and the economic and scientific delegations. BEYRLE