US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1494

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001494 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/SE, EUR/ACE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, AM 
SUBJECT: LATEST MEETING WITH TURKISH COUNTERPART 
DISAPPOINTS DFM KIRAKOSSIAN 
 
REF: YEREVAN 01492 
 
Classified By: Ambassador John M. Evans for reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) On August 16, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman 
Kirakossian told the Ambassador that his recent meeting in 
Vienna with Turkish Deputy Undersecretary Ahmet Uzumcu was 
less productive than the GOAM had hoped.  According to 
Kirakossian, the two sides still cannot agree on the 
structure or scope of the proposed inter-governmental 
commission on the events of 1914-1915.  He said that Uzumcu 
"repeatedly focused" on the upcoming Kazan meeting between 
the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents and suggested the 
Turks were "awaiting a breakthrough."  He said the Turks 
viewed the Kazan meeting as an indicator of how much latitude 
they could afford in talks with the Armenians regarding 
border opening and the proposed Turkish-Armenian historical 
commission.  While he emphasized that mid-level bureaucrats 
from both sides continued to work on the action plan of 
administrative and people-to-people confidence building 
measures, Kirakossian expressed his disappointment that 
Uzumcu was "unwilling" to set the date for their next meeting 
until after the Kazan summit.  End Summary. 
 
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NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME 
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2. (C) Ambassador Evans met with Deputy Foreign Minister 
Arman Kirakossian August 16 to discuss his recent meeting in 
Vienna with Turkish MFA Deputy Undersecretary Ahmet Uzumcu. 
A disappointed Kirakossian said that the July 29 sessions, 
his second with Uzumcu in the past three months, were "just 
not as good as the first meeting."  He claimed that the 
format (4 plus 4) and tone remained positive, but said that 
substantive issues hampered tangible headway between the two 
sides.  As usual, Kirakossian guarded details of the meeting, 
but did not hesitate to assert his overall disappointment in 
the outcome. 
 
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DISAGREEMENT ON COMMISSION SLOWS PROGRESS 
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3. (C) Kirakossian cited differences over the goals and scope 
of the proposed inter-governmental commission on the events 
of 1915 as the major impediment to progress during the Vienna 
meeting.  After reading the letters of both Presidents on the 
issue, Kirakossian suggested that the GOAM's proposal to 
create five sub-commissions (diplomatic relations, opening 
the border, academic research, trade and commercial prospects 
and public opinion/cultural exchange) went too far for the 
Turks.  He said that the Turks "seemed focused on the past, 
while we want these meetings to talk about the future." 
Kirakossian pointed to the timeline and performance measures 
in the GOAM proposal as evidence of the Armenians' 
willingness to make "significant" progress toward normalizing 
relations.  Kirakossian said that Uzumcu made it clear to 
him, however, that Turkish Foreign Minister Gul was so 
opposed to the GOAM approach that he reportedly never took 
the Armenian proposal beyond his Ministry to Prime Minister 
Erdogan or any others in the GOT.  Kirakossian claimed that 
Uzumcu emphasized to him privately on the margins of the 
talks that establishment of the commission as prescribed by 
the Turkish side was an important confidence-building measure 
for the GOT. 
 
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KIRAKOSSIAN SAYS TURKS ARE FOCUSED ON KAZAN 
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4. (C) Kirakossian said that Uzumcu "repeatedly focused" on 
the upcoming Kazan meeting between the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani Presidents and suggested the Turks seemed to be 
"awaiting a breakthrough."  He said the Turks viewed the 
Kazan meeting as an indicator of how much latitude they could 
afford in talks with the Armenians regarding border opening 
and the proposed Turkish-Armenian historical commission. 
 
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NO MEETING DATE, BUT EXCHANGES CONTINUE 
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5. (C) Kirakossian said he was disappointed that Uzumcu was 
unwilling to set the date for their next meeting until after 
the Kazan summit.  He emphasized, however, that mid-level 
bureaucrats from both sides continued to work on the action 
plan of administrative and people-to-people confidence 
building measures.  He would not say if the action plan had 
changed significantly in recent months, but listed recent 
cultural exchanges (including Armenian musicians performing 
in Istanbul) as evidence that these contacts continue to 
produce results.  He said that the MFA was frustrated that 
the GOT did not consult with the GOAM on the name of a 
consultant for the restoration of the Akhtamar church 
complex, but nonetheless said the project was a step in the 
right direction.  Kirakossian ended the discussion of 
Turkey-Armenia relations with a brief discussion of the 
proposed Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan railway project that would 
circumvent Armenia.  He told the Ambassador that the project 
was "worrisome" and called it "another example of isolation" 
for Armenia in the region (septel). 
 
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COMMENT 
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6. (C) We believe it is important that the MFA maintain at 
least the appearance of momentum in talks so that more 
nationalist forces in the GOAM do not seize on perceived 
failures of the meetings as proof that opening the border is 
an impossible goal.  Our interpretation of the GOT's focus on 
the outcome of Kazan--as reported by Kirakossian--is that 
Turkey still views its closed border as an essential lever to 
press Armenia to negotiate with Azerbaijan.  Uzumcu's 
approach could indicate that, without agreement from 
Azerbaijan, Turkey will take no significant steps forward. 
Regardless of the results of the Kazan meeting, we will 
encourage the Armenians to set a date for the next set of 
talks and keep pace on their people-to-people projects. 
EVANS