NATO-RUSSIA: RUSSIA PULLS THE PLUG ON NRC REFORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000526

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR NATO RS
SUBJECT: NATO-RUSSIA: RUSSIA PULLS THE PLUG ON NRC REFORM

REF: A. USNATO 514

B. USNATO 518

C. USNATO 523

Classified By: Ambassador Ivo Daalder for reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary: Russia told the NATO-Russia Council (NRC)
Preparatory Committee on November 17 that it was no longer
interested in continuing six months of work on the reform
document "Taking the NRC Forward," and urged the NRC to
instead focus on the proposed Joint Review of common security
challenges. Russia said that it had determined the political
language in "Taking the NRC Forward" had lost its relevance,
and was concerned that the NRC reform proposed in the
document was "too drastic." Allies expressed dismay that
Russia had wasted the NRC's efforts, and reminded the Russian
delegation that the NRC was working on a package of
deliverables for its December Ministerial, not simply the
Joint Review. Unless otherwise directed, USNATO intends to
join other Allies in a letter to the NATO Secretary General
stating that it is not appropriate for us to begin work on
the Joint Review considering the Russian decision to
unilaterally torpedo "Taking the NRC Forward." End summary.

Russia's Unilateral Decision
--------------


2. (C) Russian DCM Nikolai Korchunov told the NRC PrepCom on
November 17 that Moscow questioned the relevance of the
reform document "Taking the NRC Forward" and was not
interested in working on it further. He explained that
Russia considered much of the language in the document of
limited significance since it was originally intended to
address the political situation faced by the NRC prior to the
Corfu Ministerial in June, a situation which no longer
existed. Korchunov said that Moscow "had not been convinced"
that restructuring the NRC would really take it forward, and
considered the reform proposals under discussion too drastic.
Russia wanted to examine how to best use the NRC's existing
committees and working groups, and could consider some
limited NRC reform on a "case-by-case basis." Korchunov said
that in the meantime, we would need all of the existing NRC
bodies to carry out the proposed Joint Review of 21st Century
Security Challenges.

Allies: Joint Review is not all for NRC
--------------


3. (C) Allies expressed considerable disappointment in
Russia, although some said this decision was not surprising
considering Moscow's often tepid interest in working
constructively within the NRC (refs A and B). Allies pointed
out that whereas Russian Ambassador to NATO Rogozin was
fixated on the Joint Review during the November 11 NRC
Ambassadorial meeting, NATO PermReps and the SecGen had
agreed that the NRC was preparing a package of deliverables
for the December Ministerial, of which the Joint Review was
only a part (ref C). Allied PrepCom representatives reminded
the Russian DCM that all 29 Ministers had tasked the NRC with
"Taking the NRC Forward," and stressed that the Joint Review
was not a substitute for a NRC agenda that was broader and
more complex than a single initiative.

Comment
--------------


4. (C) Russia's decision to end work on "Taking the NRC
Forward" calls into question its intention to pursue
constructive cooperation within the NRC. Russia clearly
wants to keep the NRC a talking shop, the utility of which
for Moscow is to interject Russia into NATO in a manner that
exacerbates divisions within the Alliance. Moscow appears to
have miscalculated, however, as its recent behavior in the
NRC has created more unity among the Allies.


5. (C) Unless otherwise instructed, we intend to work with
Allies on a letter to the SecGen stating that Russia's
unilateral decision regarding "Taking the NRC Forward"
necessitates that the NRC halt work on the draft Ministerial
tasking to launch the Joint Review.
DAALDER