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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002847 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR DAS MATT BRYZA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2017 
TAGS: PREL ECIN ETRD ELTN SMIG NATO AJ AM GG TU ZJ
SUBJECT: TURKEY EXTENDING A DIPLOMATIC HAND TO GEORGIA, 
BUT PULLING BACK ON NATO/MAP 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 2596 
     ¶B. ANKARA 1505 
     ¶C. ANKARA 2775 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice G. Weiner, reasons 1.4, b, d 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  Through frequent high-level visits, the GOT 
has reaffirmed its strong support for Georgian independence 
and territorial integrity.  It has sought, too, to reduce any 
sense of diplomatic isolation felt by Tbilisi since the 
deterioration of Russian-Georgian relations and, more 
recently, the political crisis in Georgia.  While extending a 
hand, the GOT has advised Georgian leaders not to agitate 
Moscow with claims that Russia is destabilizing the country. 
The GOT has also urged Georgian leaders not to use NATO 
accession to solve its political problems, and has cooled to 
extending NATO/MAP to Georgia, though it will not oppose it. 
Breaking ground in Georgia on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, 
President Gul emphasized the benefits of regional cooperation 
among Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and signaled to Armenia 
that it can share in these benefits when it resolves its 
conflicts with its neighbors.  Bilaterally, Georgia and 
Turkey further deepened their economic engagement by signing 
a free-trade agreement and an agreement on double taxation. 
The GOT expressed its willingness to support the repatriation 
of the Meskheti Turks to their homeland in Georgia.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
ALL-OUT SUPPORT FOR GEORGIA 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Georgian PM Noghaideli's last-minute decision to 
proceed with his November 14-15 visit to Ankara came as a 
surprise to the GOT.  GOT officials were expecting the PM to 
cancel, given the political crisis in Tbilisi.  MFA South 
Caucasus desk officer Yavuz Kul suggested that the visit 
allowed Georgia to project a sense of normalcy (so normal 
that he claimed the GOT had no idea of Noghaideli's impending 
resignation).  Kul said the GOT is trying to do its best to 
help reduce any sense of isolation felt by Georgia since the 
deterioration of relations with Russia and, most recently, 
since the domestic political crisis emerged.  No other 
country, he averred, engages Georgia as frequently and at 
such a senior level as Turkey. 
 
¶3.  (C) The GOT gave high visibility to Noghaideli's visit. 
In addition to PM Erdogan, who hosted a dinner in his honor, 
Noghaideli met with President Gul and Parliament Speaker 
Toptan.  PM Erdogan reaffirmed Turkish support for Georgia's 
sovereignty and territorial integrity, while privately urging 
Noghaideli to stop agitating Russia.  The GOT believes that 
Georgia has overstated its claims of Russian subversion. 
Erdogan conveyed Turkish willingness to play a facilitating 
role in Georgia's Abkhaz conflict, reminding Noghaideli that 
the GOT had not canceled Abkhaz "president" Bagapsh's visit 
to Turkey; it was only postponed (ref A).  According to Kul, 
Noghaideli also sought to persuade President Gul to 
participate in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway ground-breaking 
ceremony on November 21, only days before President 
Saakashvili was to resign the presidency ahead of January 
elections.  Seeing a useful opportunity to further bolster 
Saakashvili, Gul accepted.  Kul noted that Gul, in his 
bilateral meeting with President Saakashvili, praised 
Saakashvili for calling early elections and also expressed 
concern about rising tension between Georgia and Russia. 
Neither Erdogan nor Gul specifically raised the closure of 
Imedi TV, and Gul did not meet with opposition figures. 
 
REVIVING THE GREAT SILK ROAD... 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) With Azerbaijani President Aliyev also in attendance 
at the ground-breaking, Presidents Gul and Saakashvili 
proclaimed the historical significance of constructing a 
railway that will "connect China to Great Britain," 
describing the project as a revival of the great Silk Road. 
Gul added that China and Kazakhstan had already pledged to 
transport 10 million tons of freight per year on the route 
(exceeding the railway's expected initial capacity of 5 
million tons), expected to open in 2010.  The project is 
being financed entirely by the participating countries. 
Turkey is providing $220 million to fund the 76 km of line 
between Kars and the Georgia border, and Azerbaijan has 
provided Georgia with a $200 million line of credit 
 
ANKARA 00002847  002 OF 003 
 
 
(partially from the state oil fund) to finance the 30 km of 
construction within Georgian territory.  Our Georgian Embassy 
contacts told us the railway was never actually a high 
priority for Georgia compared to the oil and gas pipelines, 
and they noted the negative impact it might have on port 
facilities in Batumi (ref B).  More positively, the railway 
could help boost economic development in the 
majority-Armenian Javakheti region which it will cross, and 
help further integrate that region into Georgia. 
 
...AROUND ARMENIA 
----------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) But the project will deepen Armenia's regional 
isolation.  The railway will effectively replace the 
Kars-Gyumri (Armenia)-Tbilisi railway that had earlier served 
as the only rail connection between Turkey and the former 
Soviet Union.  Turkey closed the line in 1993 following the 
Armenian occupation of Azeri territory in the 
Nagorno-Karabakh war.  President Gul used the ground-breaking 
to reinforce a message he delivered two weeks earlier in Baku 
(ref C):  regional projects developed by Turkey, Georgia and 
Azerbaijan are meant to benefit the entire Caucasus, but 
Armenia's hostility toward Azerbaijan and Turkey excludes it. 
 He was, however, somewhat more magnanimous in Tbilisi: 
"When peace and stability dominate the region, we will not 
want to exclude anyone.  Everybody can participate in these 
projects; all peoples of this region can gain the use of 
these projects without being discriminated against on the 
basis of race or religion...I hope that the realization of 
these projects is not misunderstood.  I believe that these 
projects will one day serve the entire region, not only three 
countries." 
 
ECONOMIC TIES DEEPEN 
-------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Trade was high on the agenda of both visits. 
Accompanying Gul to Georgia, State Minister for Trade Kursad 
Tuzmen signed a long-awaited free trade agreement and an 
agreement eliminating dual taxation.  While the Georgian side 
had wanted trade liberalization without restrictions, reduced 
tariffs will remain on agricultural products such as tea, 
wine, wheat and citrus.  The Georgian DCM told us the GOG is 
satisfied, however, with the greatly expanded quota of wine 
Georgia can now export duty free.  In partnership with the 
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), 
the two sides have already begun to modernize border 
crossings, and have ended visa requirements for travel 
between the two countries.  In a joint press conference with 
PM Noghaideli, PM Erdogan celebrated these achievements, 
emphasizing that Turkey is Georgia's number one trading 
partner and that the value of goods and services traded 
annually has reached $1 billion.  Speaking alongside Gul one 
week later, Saakashvili expressed his appreciation for 
Turkish investment and the employment it has brought to 
Georgia.  With the problems of dual taxation solved, Kul said 
he believes that Turkish companies -- already impressed by 
the improved business environment in Georgia -- are set to 
further expand their investments. 
 
LESS INCLINED TO SUPPORT MAP FOR GEORGIA 
AT BUCHAREST 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) President Gul reaffirmed during his visit that the 
integration of the South Caucasus with Euro-Atlantic 
institutions is a high priority for Turkey.  But the GOT is 
concerned that Georgia is trying to drag NATO into solving 
its political problems, notably Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 
The recent political crisis, in which the GOT believes 
President Saakashvili unnecessarily antagonized Russia, has 
further dampened GOT enthusiasm for extending MAP to Georgia. 
 MFA Deputy U/S Unal Cevikoz recently told Ambassador that 
the domestic political situation in Georgia is likely to 
become more complicated for Saakashvili, even after his 
expected re-election.  The GOT is not sure that April 2008, 
in Bucharest, is the right time to go ahead with MAP.  He 
described the GOT position as having gone from "neutral plus 
to neutral-minus."  Despite its lack of enthusiasm, Turkey 
will not block an Allied consensus in favor of Georgia's bid 
for MAP, should one emerge. 
 
TURKEY PREPARED TO FACILITATE REPATRIATION 
 
ANKARA 00002847  003 OF 003 
 
 
OF MESKHETI TURKS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (C) Turkey is pleased that the Georgian parliament has 
passed legislation authorizing the repatriation of the 
Meskheti Turks to Georgia from Russia and Central Asia, where 
they were exiled during Soviet times.  The GOT has 
consistently raised this issue with Georgian leaders.  The 
GOT expects the process to begin in 2008 with applications. 
Georgia has not allocated any specific region for 
resettlement, and the GOT understands GOG concerns about 
upsetting the demographic balance of the majority-Armenian 
Javakheti region, which most Meskheti are native to.  The GOT 
is confident, however, that once the Meskheti return to 
Georgia, they will not be restricted from resettling wherever 
they choose, including Javakheti.  Meeting with PM 
Noghaideli, Erdogan remarked that Turkey would advocate 
projects to assist the return of the Meskheti Turks "to their 
homeland," and ensure the development of the region.  He said 
the Meskheti Turks would constitute "a new bridge of 
friendship and cooperation" between Turkey and Georgia. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON