CYPRUS TO CONSIDER U.S. THOUGHTS ON GEORGIA WAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000002 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV CY GG RS SUBJECT: CYPRUS TO CONSIDER U.S. THOUGHTS ON GEORGIA WAY FORWARD REF: SECSTATE 134559 Classified By: DCM Jonathan R. Cohen, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) In response to Reftel, DCM on January 5 called on Cypriot MFA Political Director Rhea Yiordamlis. He stressed to Yiordamlis the imperative that the U.S. and Europe cooperate long-term to support Georgian sovereignty and restore its territorial integrity. Such a strategy would incorporate carrots to entice Abkhazian and Ossetian separatists that their future lay with Tbilisi and not Moscow, and sticks to convince their leadership that "independence" would never materialize and that trying to achieve it would be costly. ¶2. (C) Yiordamlis voiced Cyprus's hope for greater security and stability in the Caucasus and its support for Georgia's territorial integrity, and promised to give consideration to the U.S. proposals. She declined to give a substantive, detailed response, and requested a follow-up meeting in the next few weeks to do so. Yiordamlis did comment that sanctions or visa bans would only be effective if broadly applied, and asked if the U.S. intended to seek UN support for such measures. ¶3. (C) Yiordamlis noted she would leave soon for Brussels and a meeting of EU political directors. While Georgia did not figure on their formal agenda, it could come up for discussion, and she appreciated the U.S. having shared its thinking. Urbancic