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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/SNEC FOR AMBASSADOR MANN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016 
TAGS: AM ENRG IR IS KZ PREL RU
SUBJECT: AZERBAIJANI FM MEETS WITH CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS 
OF MAJOR AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Reno L. Harnish, III, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
. 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar 
Mammadyarov met February 13 with leaders from the Conference 
of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. 
Mammadyarov characterized Azerbaijan's relations with the 
United States as a "strategic partnership" and said that 
Azerbaijan wants closer relations with Israel, although he 
admitted that Azerbaijan's OIC membership would impose some 
restrictions.  He would not comment as to when Azerbaijan 
would open an embassy in Israel.  Mammadyarov blamed Armenia 
for the lack of results from the Paris talks on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying Yerevan refused to 
compromise.  Mammadyarov also discussed regional energy 
projects in detail, including bringing Kazakhstan oil into 
the BTC pipeline and exporting Shah Deniz gas to southern and 
central Europe.  Mammadyarov addressed relations with Russia 
and Iran, noting the importance of Russian agricultural 
markets and worries about Iran's nuclear ambitions.  The 
audience gave Mammadyarov a warm welcome as a proven friend 
of the American Jewish community.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
RELATIONS WITH THE U.S. AND WITH ISRAEL 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Speaking to a delegation of more than 70 leaders and 
other participants from the Conference of Presidents of Major 
American Jewish Organizations, Foreign Minister Mammadyarov 
began by briefly reviewing the history of U.S.-Azerbaijan 
relations, which he characterized as having moved from 
cooperation in the energy sector to "strategic partnership" 
on a wide variety of issues.  Hopefully, he said, Section 907 
of the Freedom Support Act would soon be "relegated to 
history."  Azerbaijan has made steady progress on democracy 
and human rights, he argued.  Mammadyarov also said that he 
has a "comfortable" relationship with the Israeli Ambassador 
in Baku and that Azerbaijan intends to build close relations 
with Israel.  When asked during the question-and-answer 
session, Mammadyarov did not give a direct answer as to 
whether Azerbaijan will open an Embassy in Israel in the near 
future.  Instead, he said that Azerbaijan is "moving in the 
direction" of expanding its relations with Israel, sending 
more and more delegations there and increasing economic ties 
(NOTE: In a late meeting, President Aliyev said he expected a 
breakthrough this year on the question of establishing an 
Azerbaijan Trade Commission in Israel.  END NOTE).  However, 
Mammadyarov also cited Azerbaijan's membership in the 
Organization of the Islamic Conference, noting that this 
places restrictions on Azerbaijan's behavior and that the OIC 
has been supportive of Azerbaijan in the past. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
ARMENIA AND THE CONFLICT OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. (C) Mammadyarov discussed the recent Aliyev-Kocharian 
meeting in Paris, going into some detail as to the background 
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  Mammadyarov asserted that 
a breakthrough had not been achieved in Paris primarily due 
to what he characterized as Armenia taking a line of "no 
compromise."  According to Mammadyarov, the GOAJ had hoped 
that Armenia would be willing to defer a determination of the 
final status of N-K to the future and discuss withdrawing its 
forces from the territories surrounding N-K proper.  However, 
Mammadyarov asserted, during the Paris talks the GOAM 
rejected the concept of de-linking these two issues. 
¶4. (C) Mammadyarov also briefly mentioned the concept of a 
new rail link between Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Turkish 
city of Kars and indicated that Azerbaijan would press ahead 
with this project.  The Foreign Minister said that a 
feasibility study had been completed and the estimated cost 
of the project is between USD 400-500 million.  Mammadyarov 
said that Azerbaijan wishes to pursue this project in order 
to further its economic integration with Europe, adding that 
"we will be able to reach Paris from Baku by train in just 
 
BAKU 00000234  002 OF 002 
 
 
three days." 
 
------------------------ 
REGIONAL ENERGY PROJECTS 
------------------------ 
 
¶5. (C) Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan is "dep in talks" to 
bring Kazakhstan's oil into the BC pipeline and that the 
personal chemistry between President Aliyev and President 
Nazarbayev is good.  He did not address the current state of 
the negotiations.  Mammadyarov also discussed gas issues in 
detail, specifically mentioning northern Italy and Greece as 
potential markets for Shah Deniz gas via the SCP pipeline, 
but also noting that current EU competition regulations make 
it difficult for a consortium like the Shah Deniz group to 
sell gas in European markets.  Hopefully, he said, this 
situation can be rectified. 
 
¶6. (C) Mammadyarov also discussed the possibility of bringing 
Central Asian gas across the Caspian, through Azerbaijan and 
Georgia, and onward to Ukraine and other markets in Central 
Europe.  The upcoming February 25 GUAM Summit in Tblisi will 
provide a forum to discuss all these issues, he noted.  He 
mentioned the Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan Trans-Caspian Pipeline 
(TCP) in passing but did not discuss it in any detail. 
 
------------------------ 
REGIONAL SECURITY ISSUES 
------------------------ 
 
¶7. (C) Mammadyarov characterized Azerbaijan's relations with 
Russia as "successful," noting for example that Russia joined 
with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the trilateral agreement 
delimiting the north Caspian.  Mammadyarov said that 
President Putin will visit Azerbaijan soon to help kick off 
the "Year of Russia in Azerbaijan" program.  Mammadyarov 
noted the importance of Russian markets to Azerbaijan's 
agricultural sector. 
 
¶8. (C) Turning to Iran, Mammadyarov pointed out that "thirty 
million" ethnic Azeris live in that country and that Iran 
provides the only land connection between Nakhchivan and the 
rest of Azerbaijan.  When asked during the 
question-and-answer session, Mammadyarov said that he 
believes a peaceful solution is possible on the issue of 
Iran's nuclear ambitions, if Iran's nuclear power needs are 
developed under the eyes of the IAEA.  Nuclear weapons are 
another matter, he said.  "We already have one nuclear power 
on one of our borders, would we feel safer with another one? 
I don't think so." 
HARNISH