VZCZCXRO1054
RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKB #0249/01 0600452
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 010452Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2474
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 2008
RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN 1250
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0634
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0579
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000249 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2027 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS PTER AJ PBTS IR RU
SUBJECT: DEFENSE MINISTER ABIYEV DISCUSSES IRANIAN-RUSSIAN 
COOPERATION WITH ASD RODMAN, DASD MACDOUGALL, AND DAS 
COULTER 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse per 1.4 (b,d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  During a February 12 meeting with the 
Ambassador and a State-DOD delegation headed by Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for International Security Peter Rodman, 
 
SIPDIS 
Azerbaijani Minister of Defense General Safar Abiyev 
expressed concern that Russia and Iran were increasing their 
cooperation through links in Armenia and the Caspian. He said 
Azerbaijan sought "active cooperation with NATO up 
to full membership" but could not announce this goal at 
present.   Abiyev complained about Iranian and Russian 
support for Armenia.  Abiyev thanked the delegation for USG 
and DoD assistance to the Azerbaijani military and expressed 
a desire that this cooperation continue and be enhanced.  He 
expressed concern that one day a waiver of 907 would not be 
granted and that cooperation between the 
United States and Azerbaijan would have to be curtailed.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
IRANIAN-RUSSIAN TIES 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) During a February 12 meeting with the Ambassador, 
DATT and a delegation headed by Assistant Secretary of 
Defense for International Security Peter Rodman, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Defense James MacDougall, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs 
Michael Coulter and State Department Director for Iran 
Barbara Leaf, Azerbaijani Minister of Defense General Safar 
Abiyev expressed concern about what he characterized as an 
increased level of ship traffic in the Caspian between 
Russian and Iran.  In his opening remarks, A/S Rodman 
mentioned the recent speech by Russian President Vladimir 
Putin in Munich as an important indicator of the Russian 
leader's strategic vision.  Abiyev did not comment directly 
on the speech but talked at length about how unhelpful 
Russia has been in bringing peace, stability and democracy to 
the region.  Abiyev said that Russia had provided Iran with 
an air defense system and that Iran was changing the 
locations of its air defense system every six months.  He 
said that according to "our information" Russia is assisting 
Iran in installing this equipment.  Finally he cited the 
increased number of high-level visits between 
Iranian and Russian officials. 
 
¶3.  (C) Citing Iran's intensification of military activities 
in 2007, Abiyev said that he was "not satisfied" with Iran's 
regional policy, and said that there was "no doubt" that Iran 
was trying to destabilize the Caspian Region, as they are 
trying to destabilize Afghanistan and Iraq.  Abiyev then said 
that Iranian support for Armenia was also increasing.  He 
said that Russia was planning to 
build/finance an oil refinery in Armenia, and that the only 
logical place for the oil that would be refined to come from 
would be Iran. 
 
 
REGIONAL SITUATION REMAINS TENSE 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Abiyev said that the situation in the Caspian remains 
complex, as Azerbaijan has not yet come to a demarcation 
agreement with Iran and Turkmenistan.  He said that some of 
the regional tension was reduced when the Russian military 
closed their bases in Georgia, but the fact that Russian 
military equipment had been moved from Georgia to Armenia can 
potentially create further problems 
for Azerbaijan.  Abiyev said that Georgia was a friend to 
Azerbaijan and that despite Azerbaijan's own economic 
difficulties, Azerbaijan still sold gas to Georgia when 
Russia refused.  Abiyev described Armenia as being "fully 
governed by Russia" and said that Russia considered Armenia 
to be part of Russia, and that Armenia's economy was deeply 
integrated into Russia's economy. 
 
NATO COOPERATION 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Abiyev told the group that all of Azerbaijan's ground 
forces have been transformed to NATO standards, and that 
Azerbaijan would now begin working on the transformation of 
 
BAKU 00000249  002 OF 002 
 
 
its Air Force and Navy to NATO standards. Abiyev was pleased 
with the level of cooperation with the United States and said 
that this was the most important part of Azerbaijan's 
bilateral relations with the United States.  Abiyev cited 
over 200 NATO or U.S.- supported/funded programs in which 
over 1000 Azerbaijani 
officers have attended.  Abiyev also said that he visited 
Turkey and had met his military counterparts as well as 
President Erdogan and that the Turks were interested in 
increasing their support for Azerbaijan.  Abiyev said that 
Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO had a goal in mind.  He 
said that this goal "could not be announced, for certain 
reasons" at present, but that  Azerbaijan sought "active 
cooperation with NATO  up to full membership".  He said that 
the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the only inhibitor 
of Azerbaijan moving even more quickly with NATO:  "It is 
time for more serious, more active steps by the US in Minsk 
Group.  Our cooperation with the US and NATO would be more 
open and more decisive in this case." 
 
SECTION 907 
----------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Abiyev expressed his concern about article 907 and 
worried that when President Bush leaves office the next 
president may not be as supportive of waiving 907.  He 
expressed concern about the disparity of funding between 
Azerbaijan and Armenia.  He expressed puzzlement about how 
the United States can support Armenia, which is also one of 
the main benefactors of Russian and Iranian aid and political 
support. 
 
¶7.  (C) A/S Rodman thanked Abiyev for Azerbaijan's continued 
commitment to the Global War on Terrorism through the 
commitment of Azerbaijani troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and 
Kosovo.  Regarding Section 907, he emphasized that Azerbaijan 
can count on President Bush while he is in office, and that 
there is a growing bi-partisan awareness in Congress of the 
increasing threat posed by Russia and Iran.  He appreciated 
the steps that Azerbaijan was taking to modernize their 
military and bring it up to NATO standards.  On the Iran 
threat, A/S Rodman stated that U.S. policy on Iran is not 
meant to provoke, but to deter Iranian pressures.  To that 
end, the U.S. has initiated an enhanced security dialogue 
with our Gulf Arab friends aimed at addressing the security 
challenges posed by Iran.  DAS Coulter briefed the Azeri 
group about the USGs "Gulf Security Dialogue" and its 
associated six pillars.  The April Pol-Mil talks present an 
opportunity to explore Azerbaiani interest in GSD further. 
 
¶8. (U)  This message has been cleared with A/S Rodman and DAS 
Coulter. 
DERSE