Wikileaks - CDXCVI
83271 10/27/2006 6:25 06YEREVAN1511 Embassy Yerevan CONFIDENTIAL 06ISTANBUL1910|06STATE162288|06TBILISI2818 VZCZCXYZ0000 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHYE #1511/01 3000625 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 270625Z OCT 06 FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4271 INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1136 RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0330 RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0966 RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0018 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0020 RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU 0046 RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0003 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1263 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 0041 RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 1966 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0499 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 001511
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/CARC, EUR/PGI: ANORMAND AND EUR/NCE: DKOSTELANCIK
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016 TAGS: SENV, PREL, ECON, AM SUBJECT: BSEC MINISTERIAL: ARMENIA'S VIEWS
REF: A) STATE 162288 B) ISTANBUL 1910 C) TBILISI 2818
Classified By: EconOff E. Pelletreau for reasons 1.4 (b,d).
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SUMMARY
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1. (C) In response to ref A demarche, the Head of the International Economic Cooperation Department at the MFA told us that Armenia is likely to offer only luke-warm support to any U.S. proposal for a BSEC meeting on the environment. He also expressed concern about Georgia's efforts to include its conflict with Russia on the BSEC agenda. He said that Armenia had not raised its closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan at BSEC because it was not the appropriate forum to raise bilateral disputes and suggested that Georgia should show similar restraint. END SUMMARY.
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THE ENVIRONMENT'S FINE, SO LONG AS THERE IS MONEY IN IT
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2. (C) Head of the International Economic Cooperation Department at the MFA Ashot Poghossian told us that it was unlikely that Armenia would be interested in a proposal to set up a BSEC-related meeting on "environmental enforcement for economic development" (ref A). He explained that Armenia had been excluded from the BSEC committee against pollution established in Bucharest in 1998 because it was not Black Sea littoral and, therefore, was not involved in BSEC's environmental actions. He added, pointedly, that the Armenian Minister of Nature Protection would not be interested in coordinating with BSEC because BSEC has only limited funds. He said that the Minister would only work with groups that had funds to spend in Armenia, for example, the E.U. (COMMENT: The clear implication was that the Minister, notorious as Armenia's most corrupt, was looking for opportunities to embezzle international funds. END COMMENT) MFA Department of International Organizations Desk Officer Noune Zastoukhova, who also attended the meeting, pointed out that there are other regional environmental programs in which Armenia is an active member, such as the UNEP's Environmental Security Initiative, and suggested that the U.S proposal might be duplicative of other international efforts.
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A REVIEW OF THE AGENDA
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3. (C) Poghossian also shared his thoughts about the rest of the BSEC agenda. He said that the Greek government had been lobbying hard for Armenian support for an MOU on a Black Sea ring-road, but that he felt it would be impossible to sign the MOU at this Ministerial because member states had not been given sufficient time to review the proposal. Poghossian highlighted the possibility of establishing a Black Sea energy network. He said this would be a GOAM priority when Armenia assumes control of the BSEC energy committee in May 2007. The third agenda item would be BSEC cooperation with the EU, but Poghossian said that both Romania and Turkey were creating obstacles.
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GOAM DISPLEASED WITH GEORGIA'S CIRCULAR NOTES
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4. (C) Poghossian expressed concern about Georgia's "unprecedented" efforts to raise Russia's economic sanctions at the Ministerial (ref C). He said that the Georgian government mentioned the potential impact on Armenia in circular notes advocating for inclusion of Russian-Georgian relations on the BSEC agenda. Poghossian said the GOAM objected to being drawn into what it considers to be a bilateral conflict. "BSEC is not the appropriate forum for Georgia to raise these concerns," Poghossian said. Armenia had refrained from raising its closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan at BSEC and Georgia should show similar restraint, he added.
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COMMENT
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5. (C) Poghossian's concern about Georgian efforts to draw Armenia into its conflict with Russia is not surprising. Armenia faces a difficult balancing act between Georgia and Russia. The vast majority of Armenia's trade goods pass through Georgia, but Russia has significant control over the Armenian energy sector. Given its energy dependence, it is critical that Armenia maintain a relationship with Russia separate and apart from the Georgian-Russian conflict. The fact that President Kocharian will be visiting Russia for bilateral meetings the day before the BSEC Ministerial is an acknowledgment of that fact. The last thing Armenia wants is to be seen as "co-plaintiff" with Georgia against Russia in this dispute. GODFREY
