US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1529

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001529 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/CACEN 
DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P AND FOR EUR/SNEC 
FRANKFURT FOR RSC/RCO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: CVIS, PREL, AM 
SUBJECT: ARMENIAN MFA PROPOSES A2 VISA FOR NKR REP 
 
REF: Stickles-Tatuch emails 
 
This is an action request, please see paragraph 6. 
 
1. SUMMARY: The issue of travel documents and visas 
for representatives of the "Nagorno Karabakh 
Republic" (NKR) to travel to the United States 
remains controversial.  While it has been USG 
policy that it is useful for the NKR to have a 
voice in Washington, any recognition of the 
independence of this territory is contrary to U.S. 
policy.  Recognition of these individuals as 
officials of the Republic of Armenia also 
contradicts U.S. policy which recognizes the 
territorial integrity of the Republic of 
Azerbaijan.  That means we would not recognize a 
travel document issued by the NKR nor have we 
granted a diplomatic visa to their representatives. 
We seek guidance in how to issue a visa to the new 
permanent representative of the NKR which allows 
him and his family to enter the U.S. without 
frequent returns to Armenia for visa renewal.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. Past practice has been for us to issue B1/B2 
visas which only allow for a six-month duration of 
stay in the United States.  Thus previous 
representatives have worried that they would not be 
allowed to extend their stay in the U.S. in order 
to complete their tours of duty.  For several years 
Post issued a letter to DHS in support of the NKR 
representative's extension of stay, but that 
backfired last August when the Customs and Border 
Patrol (CPB) inspector at the port of entry took 
exception to the letter. 
 
3. During last year's discussion of the NKR 
representative's visa options via email, VO pointed 
out that use of a B1/B2 visa for such long-term 
stay in the U.S. can generate a suspicious travel 
pattern.  Indeed, another individual in a similar 
situation, the director of the All-Armenia Fund 
office in Los Angeles went back and forth between 
Armenia and the U.S. every six months for several 
years until recently when his travel pattern was 
questioned by a CPB inspector.  The subsequent 
misunderstandings during questioning in secondary 
resulted in the inspector giving the Fund director 
a permanent ineligibility, which we are still 
trying to erase from his record. 
 
4. The Armenian MFA reports that Deputy Foreign 
Minister Kirakossian recently raised with U.S. 
Minsk Group representative Steve Mann the idea of 
issuing an A2 visa in an Armenian Diplomatic 
Passport to the NK representative.  Kirakossian 
claims that Amb. Mann reacted favorably to this 
idea. 
 
5. While the MFA proposal would allow for residence 
in the U.S., Post believes the MFA proposal would 
engender the very diplomatic problems that the 
policy of issuing of B1/B2 visas has sought to 
avoid. 
 
6. Post requests guidance on the appropriate type 
of visa to issue.  If the decision is to continue 
to issue B1/B2 visas, reciprocity now allows for 
one-year multiple-entry visas.  In that case, Post 
requests guidance on the best way to alert DHS to 
this non-standard application of a B1/B2 visa and 
the need for one or more extensions of stay. 
 
EVANS