VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTH #2386/01 3541442
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 201442Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0937
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 002386 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2017 
TAGS: EFIN EINV ENRG EPET PGOV PREL KPRV GR
SUBJECT: KARAMANLIS IN MOSCOW: PAR@THENS 2375 
 
 
ClassifQMAN.  REASONS 1.4 (@ARY: A partial MFA reQ 
visit to Moscow cf the protocol on the 
company for the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil 
pipeline, formation of a working group to discuss issues 
surrounding the South Stream gas pipeline, and agreement on 
several cultural issues.  The MFA confirmed that Karamanlis 
had congratulated Putin on the Duma elections but claimed he 
did so only once, not repeatedly, as reported in the Greek 
press.  Karamanlis also described Russia as a "strategic 
partner," but MFA contacts stressed this was "nothing new" 
and had "little real meaning."  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) Greek MFA A5 Directorate for CIS Countries Counsellor 
Elisabeth Fotiadou provided the following readout of PM 
Karamanlis's December 18-19 visit to Moscow.  The delegation 
had just returned, and she received information on the visit 
from A5 chief Ambassador Nikolas Tsamados, who had 
accompanied Karamanlis on the trip.  FM Bakoyannis and 
Minister of Development Folias accompanied Karamanlis, though 
Bakoyannis was unable to hold a bilateral meeting with 
Russian FM Lavrov because Lavrov was away from Moscow. 
Fotiadou said Karamanlis and Putin met one-on-one for an hour 
then held an expanded delegation meeting.  Information on the 
one-on-one was unavailable so Fotiadou was only able to 
provide a readout of the enlarged meeting. 
 
ENERGY ISSUES 
------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Fotiadou mentioned the signing of the protocol on the 
Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, whose construction would 
begin in spring 2008.  On South Stream, she said there had 
been no "deep discussion," only an agreement on the need for 
further discussions.  A South Stream working group, with 
members from the Greek Ministry of Development and the 
Russian Energy Ministry, was also formed to work on the 
issue.  In February 2008, DFM Doukas and his Russian 
counterpart Godaev (spelling as heard) would hold in Athens 
the regular annual bilateral economic community meeting, 
which was scheduled earlier but postponed due to the Russian 
Duma elections in early December. 
 
OTHER ISSUES 
------------ 
 
¶4. (C) Nothing was mentioned on Kosovo or FYROM/Macedonia at 
the enlarged meeting, though Fotiadou said her office had 
prepared TPs for Karamanlis on Kosovo (content not 
disclosed), which he likely used in the one-on-one.  On other 
European issues, the enlarged group discussed deepening 
Russia-EU ties, particularly since the break in the logjam 
over Polish meat and the Russia-EU Partnership and 
Cooperation Agreement.  There also was an extended discussion 
on cultural issues, including Greek agreement to open a 
Slavic languages department at Athens University, for which 
the Russians had been pushing for years.  Greece offered to 
provide advice to Russia on organizing the 2014 Sochi winter 
Olympics, and the sides agreed to mark a "year of Greece" and 
a "Year of Russia" in their respective countries in 2013 in 
the run-up to the Olympics.  Karamanlis thanked Putin for 
Russian assistance during the August fires in Greece, and the 
sides also discussed tourism in light of the growing number 
of Russians vacationing in Greece. 
 
ELECTION CONGRATS AND "STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP" 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) On reports that Karamanlis had repeatedly 
congratulated Putin on the recent Duma elections, Fotiadou 
confirmed that Karamanlis had indeed offered congratulations 
but only once during their opening statements.  As for 
reports on Karamanlis talking about a "strategic partnership" 
or "strategic alliance," Fotiadou said Karamanlis had used 
the term but that this was "nothing new" and had been done 
for at least several years.  In any case, she said, the term 
had "little real meaning" and served primarily a protocol 
purpose. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. (C) Fotiadou's readout was partial, at best, and seemed 
pitched in a deliberately low-key tone for her American 
interlocutor.  The reality of the meetings was probably 
somewhere between this and the over-the-top reports carried 
in the hyperbolic Greek press (reftel).  In any case, there 
did not appear to be much accomplished substantively in 
Moscow beyond the signing of the agreement to move into the 
final stages of pre-construction on the 
Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.  We will continue to 
watch the development of Greek-Russian relations closely and 
to push the Greeks on their position on South Stream.  We 
will also continue to seek a fuller readout on the Moscow 
visit from the offices of PM Karamanlis and Development 
Minister Folias. 
SPECKHARD