AIRBALTIC CEO UNHAPPY ABOUT IRAN; WANTS USG HELP TO START

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIGA 000093 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2035/02/26 TAGS: PREL IR IZ SA LG SUBJECT: AIRBALTIC CEO UNHAPPY ABOUT IRAN; WANTS USG HELP TO START FLIGHTS TO IRAQ AND SAUDI ARABIA REF: RIGA 70; RIGA 73 CLASSIFIED BY: Rogers, Bruce D, DCM; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Bertolt Flick, CEO of airBaltic, met with Ambassador Garber to complain about U.S. pressure on the GOL to prohibit airBaltic's planned new service to Iran (Reftel A & B). Flick confirmed that airBaltic will not fly to Tehran. However, he expressed his frustration that the previously planned flight caused a controversy and his view that airBaltic was being unfairly singled out given ongoing flights to Iran by other European airlines, such as Lufthansa. Flick said the Prime Minister requested cancelation of the flight but stressed that he controls airBaltic and the decision to cancel the flight was his, not the GOL's. (Comment: The GOL owns 52.6% and Flick owns 47.2% of airBaltic. End Comment) ¶2. (SBU) Flick requested USG help to establish airBaltic service to Baghdad and Saudi Arabia. He said that airBaltic has been attempting to obtain approvals for such flights from the Iraqi and Saudi Arabian governments, but those governments have so far been unresponsive. He requested that the USG use its influence in those countries to help move the approval process forward. GARBER