Cablegate: Tfgg01: Got Urged to Demand Russian Withdrawal

VZCZCXRO0755
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHAK #1472 2271640
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141640Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7160
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001472

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2018
TAGS: MOPS NATO OSCE PHUM PREL GG RS TU UN
SUBJECT: TFGG01: GOT URGED TO DEMAND RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL
FROM GORI; ERDOGAN GOES TO MOSCOW AND TBILISI

REF: SECST...

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001472 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2018 TAGS: MOPS NATO OSCE PHUM PREL GG RS TU UN
UN

SUBJECT: TFGG01: GOT URGED TO DEMAND RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM GORI; ERDOGAN GOES TO MOSCOW AND TBILISI REF: SECSTATE 87254 Classified By: CDA Doug Silliman, reasons 1.4 (b,d)

1. (C) CDA delivered reftel points August 14 to MFA Deputy U/S for Americas Berk and DDG for Maritime and Aviation Affairs Ozturk. Berk agreed that Russia should fulfill the commitments it made in the agreement with President Sarkozy and that OSCE observers should have immediate access to areas currently under Russian control. 2. (C) Berk noted that PM Erdogan traveled from Moscow to Tbilisi overnight, along with MFA Deputy U/S for Russia, Central Asia and the South Caucasus Cevikoz. Based on only a preliminary readout, Berk said that in Moscow Erdogan met with Medvedev privately, and the two were joined by Putin for a working lunch. Russian protocol was "impressive," with Russian authorities closing the Moscow airport road to facilitate Erdogan's short-notice travel. 3. (C) According to the latest GOT information, Poti port is under effective Russian naval control, though Georgian authorities are still operating the port's commercial operations. In the last 48 hours, two Turkish commercial vessels have unloaded cargo at Poti and left safely, Ozturk said. Turkish authorities have observed four Georgian patrol boats anchored directly adjacent to Turkish territorial waters, near Batumi (where there is usually only one patrol boat anchored). Georgia might have moved the vessels to the area to ensure their safety, Ozturk surmised. 4. (C) A ten-truck Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) team has delivered humanitarian aid to Georgia. Turkey is prepared to provide additional humanitarian aid, but Tbilisi has not requested any more assistance so far. Turkish Airlines (THY) has not resumed commercial flights to Georgia, Ozturk said, because of the prohibitive cost of insurance. Ozturk underscored that Turkey has approved overflight permission for all humanitarian flights to Georgia; in addition, Turkish airspace is open to all flights to Armenia, including Moscow-Yerevan flights. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey SILLIMAN

© Scoop Media