MFA ON SCO CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 000303

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV RS AF
SUBJECT: MFA ON SCO CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN

REF: A. MOSCOW 220

B. MOSCOW 240

C. SECSTATE 8443

Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) Summary. The MFA official in charge of organizing
the Russian-hosted March 25-27 Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) Conference on Afghanistan told us on
February 3 that the GOR would welcome U.S., G8, NATO, and EU
participation. The conference will focus on combating
narco-trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime in
Afghanistan, but will not discuss military issues. FM Lavrov
will represent Russia, and the GOR is hoping for
ministerial-level attendance from all SCO members and
observers. The goal of the conference, according to the
official, is to find common approaches to resolving the
challenges in Afghanistan and not to place blame. The MFA
indicated Iran had expressed its intention to attend, and
said the GOR would do what it could to ensure Iran's
"constructive participation." The official denied any GOR
role in pressuring the Kyrgyz government to close Manas, but
reiterated DFM Karasin's comments that the U.S. and Russia
should have a dialogue about coordinating military assets in
the region to support operations in Afghanistan (ref B). End
Summary.


2. (C) In a February 3 conversation with Poloff, MFA SCO
Counselor Igor Arazhaev indicated that based on the framework
and agenda agreed to by the SCO members and Afghanistan at a
January 14 Moscow meeting chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister
Borodavkin, Russian diplomatic missions were in the process
of informing select host governments and international
organizations, including the U.S., G8 members, Turkey, NATO,
the EU, and the UN, of the details of the planned March 25-27
SCO conference on Afghanistan that the GOR would host (Ref
A). The GOR would welcome our feedback on the conference,
and has said it would like to invite the U.S. to attend
should we express an interest to do so.


3. (SBU) According to Arazhaev, the conference will last
two and a half days, with two plenary sessions scheduled.
Finding common approaches to combat narco-trafficking,
terrorism, and organized crime in Afghanistan would be the
main theme. Russia, as the current SCO chair and host of the
conference, will be represented by FM Lavrov, and is aiming
for ministerial level participation by all SCO members and
observers. The GOR would welcome the Secretary's
participation, but understands that may not be possible. The
GOR would like conference participants to adopt a consensus
declaration, as well as set up a mechanism for follow up on
conference goals.


4. (C) Repeating comments made to us by other MFA officials
(Ref A),Arazhaev assured Poloff that the conference would
focus on constructive efforts to resolve the challenges in
Afghanistan, particularly those with cross-border spillover
effects. The GOR was not interested in criticisms or
confrontations about past actions, only on finding common
approaches to the way forward. In this regard, Arazhaev, in
response to Poloff's questions about Iranian participation in
the conference, indicated that Moscow would do what it could
to make sure the Iranians "played a constructive role."


5. (C) Responding to Poloff's concern about reported
Russian pressure on the Kyrgyz government to close Manas Air
Base, Arazhaev denied a Russian role. He stated that Manas
was not so unacceptable to the GOR that Moscow would exert
pressure on Bishkek. Returning to the subject of the SCO
conference, he indicated that bases and military issues would
not be part of the conference discussion. However, echoing
Deputy Foreign Minister Karasin's response last week to the
Ambassador's demarche (Refs B and C),he said that the U.S.
and Russia should in the near future have a dialogue about
coordinating U.S. military presence in Central Asia and
Russian facilities and capacities in the region to support
operations in Afghanistan.
BEYRLE