RUSSIA MOVES TO CLOSE DOWN THE NRC RESETTLEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000180 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2019 TAGS: NATO PREL PGOV MCAP RS SUBJECT: RUSSIA MOVES TO CLOSE DOWN THE NRC RESETTLEMENT CENTER Classified By: A/Political Advisor A. "Hoot" Baez. Reasons: 1.4 (b) an d (d). ¶1. (C/REL NATO) SUMMARY: Russian DCM Soltanovskiy confirmed on May 7 that Russia is terminating the Memorandum of Agreement for the NATO-Russia Resettlement Center, effectively ending the program. We should ask Luxembourg whether it would be willing to reprogram money it had pledged for the Center for other NRC projects, particularly the Cooperative Airspace Initiative or the Counternarcotics program. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C/REL NATO) On May 4, NATO Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer distributed to Allies a letter from Russian Deputy Minister of Defense General Pankov to NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann terminating the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the NATO-Russia Resettlement Center. Pankov said in his letter that Russia intended to move to a "national system for social adaptation of military personnel due for discharge from the Russian Federation Armed Forces" financed from the Russian federal budget alone. In his cover note, the Secretary General explained that the letter had been delivered to the Head of the NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow on April 9. The Secretary General said that the International Staff had held off distributing the letter because of conflicting signals from the Russian side over the letter's standing. In this regard, he pointed out that the letter was not delivered to NATO until April, although it was dated December 8, 2008. He also said that NATO had heard informally from the Center's Directory, General Mayorov, that while the Russian Ministry of Defense had decided to terminate the Resettlement Center's MOA, the Russian MFA still viewed the program favorably. He went on to report, however, that informal contacts with the Russian Mission indicated that Pankov's letter most likely reflected the definitive decision on this issue. ¶3. (C/REL NATO) In response to a direct question from the French representative at the May 7 meeting of the NATO-Russia Council's Preparatory Committee, Russian DCM Soltanovskiy confirmed that Pankov's letter reflected official Russian policy. ¶4. (C/REL NATO) COMMENT: Luxembourg had previously pledged 250,000 Euros for the Resettlement Center. Now that the Resettlement Center is effectively dead, we should approach Luxembourg to see if it would consider reprogramming that money for the NRC Cooperative Airspace Initiative or the NRC Counternarcotics program. ¶5. (C/REL NATO) The text of the NATO-provided official translation of the Pankov letter follows: Moscow December 8, 2008 To Mr. Martin Erdmann NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Dear Mr. Erdman (sic), The Ministry of Defence RF and NATO in compliance with the Memorandum of Agreement, dated 8 July 2001, have been cooperating in the area of social adaptation of due for discharge or discharged military personnel and their family members. (sic) Ministry of Defence RF highly evaluated the results of activity of the NATO-Russia Information, Consultation and Training Centre for the Resettlement of Military Personnel Discharged or Due for Discharge from the Russian Federation Armed Forces (the Centre),established in the framework of this cooperation. The Centre's experience was taken as a basis for developing a national system for social adaptation of military personnel due for discharge from the Russian Federation Armed Forces (AF RF). Essential changes in social adaptation of military personnel due for discharge from AF RF have occurred since the establishment of the Centre. Professional retraining has USNATO 00000180 002 OF 002 been stably financed from the federal budget since 2007. A wide spectrum of information and consultation services has been provided via a corresponding section of the official site of the Ministry of Defence RF, and various federal and regional organizations dealing with social adaptation of military personnel due for discharge. Taking into account the above considerations, Ministry of Defence RF notifies about termination of the Memorandum of Agreement, dated 8 July 2001, on the opening in Moscow of the NATO-Russia Information, Consultation and Training Centre for the Resettlement of Military Personnel Discharged or Due for Discharge from the Russian Federation Armed Forces. Respectfully, State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Defence Pankov END TEXT VOLKER