LITHUANIA'S PRIORITIES FOR NATO SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000152 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2019 TAGS: PREL EUN NATO RU LH SUBJECT: LITHUANIA'S PRIORITIES FOR NATO SUMMIT Classified By: DCM Damian R. Leader for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) MFA Director of Transatlantic Cooperation and Security Policy Vytautas Leskevicius invited DCM in on March 20 to discuss the April 3-4 NATO Summit and the GOL's desire to avoid the sort of differences that emerged at the recent NATO Ministerial. Leskevicius said the GOL is now "pretty happy" with the language of NATO's March 4 declaration on Russia and Georgia, but said the GOL felt left out of the negotiation process leading up to the Ministerial. Leskevicius expressed concern that the U.S. might introduce a new proposal the day before the April Summit that would not be acceptable to the GOL. We emphasized that some compromises may be necessary to maintain a unified NATO approach to Russia, but that we believe the GOL had been fully informed of our thinking the week prior to the ministerial. ¶2. (C) In preparation for the upcoming Summit, Leskevicius identified three GOL "red lines" for the NATO declaration on Russia: -- The NATO-Russia Council (NRC) can be resumed on the condition that Russia meets all its commitments on Georgia in the Sarkozy-Medvedev agreement. The GOL wants the commitments to be clearly stated in the declaration. -- NATO should express disappointment with Russia's increasing military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and its intent to build bases in these occupied territories. -- NATO should urge Russia to allow international observers access to all territories of Georgia including Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Leskevicius said that the GOL does not want MAP for Georgia and the Ukraine mentioned, but prefers instead there be language that refers to all relevant decisions taken in Bucharest last December regarding enlargement. ¶3. (C) Leskevicius also discussed proposed language for the declaration on Alliance Security. He said the current language on Russia is not balanced and does not specify Russia's commitments regarding Georgia. Leskevicius acknowledged that the document is still a work in process and that Lithuania's Ambassador to NATO, Linas Linkevicius, will try to work out the language with Ambassador Volker and others. CLOUD