US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN391

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 000391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/SE, ANKARA FOR C BLAHA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, TU, AM 
SUBJECT: BUREAUCRATS DISAPPOINTED WITH WORKING-LEVEL 
MEETINGS WITH TURKEY 
 
Classified By: Ambassador  John Ordway for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
------------------------------------------ 
MFA COMES HOME WITH LESS THAN IT HOPED FOR 
------------------------------------------ 
 
1. (C) MFA Turkey Desk Officer Anahit Harutunyan told us 
February 13 that the MFA returned from the latest GOAM-GOT 
technical meeting having accomplished less than it had hoped 
for, specifically regarding a potential border opening or 
scheduling regular encounters between FMs Oskanian and Gul. 
Harutunyan called the meeting, held the first week of 
February in Vienna with MFA Office Directors from both 
countries, the "least productive" of the past year. 
Discussion of Nagorno-Karabagh reportedly dominated most of 
the conversation and kept the participants from working 
through their planned agenda.  She stopped short of assigning 
blame for the current impasse but shared her impression that 
recent pressure on Turkey by Azerbaijani President Aliyev had 
spooked her bureaucratic counterparts. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
GOAM HOPEFUL FOR REGULAR OSKANIAN-GUL CONTACT 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
2. (C) Harutunyan commented that, despite the sluggish pace 
of the recent meeting, the MFA was pleased that the topic of 
regularly scheduled meetings between FMs Oskanian and Gul was 
now at least an issue of discussion.  She said that the FMs 
would likely speak on the telephone in early March and said 
that the GOAM was anxious to schedule stand-alone meetings as 
opposed to pull-asides during multilateral events.  She 
reiterated that the GOAM wanted the border with Turkey opened 
as soon as possible but noted that FM Oskanian's optimism on 
the subject did not match the expectations of bureaucrats 
managing the day-to-day aspects of the issue.  She thanked 
the USG for recent comments by Secretary Powell supporting an 
open border during his meeting with Turkish FM Gul in Tbilisi. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
3. (C) Comment:  Harutunyan's measured reaction regarding 
opening the border contrasted sharply to the upbeat 
predictions of FM Oskanian earlier this year.  Her comments, 
together with recent remarks by Middle East Division Chief 
Karen Mirzoyan, underscore the need for public intervention 
by high-level leaders if bureaucrats from both countries are 
to have sufficient room to maneuver closer together. 
ORDWAY