VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #3471 3371349
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021349Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0941
INFO RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 0418
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0185

UNCLAS MOSCOW 003471 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/RSP KSHEIVES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EAID MARR MOPS ASEAN ARF RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA: AWAITING INTERAGENCY RESPONSE ON ARF 
DISASTER RELIEF EXERCISE 
 
REF: STATE 122937 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  In response to reftel request, Post reached out to 
Russian MFA's Department of ASEAN and Asia Pacific Regional 
Affairs regarding Russian participation in the May 4-8, 2009 
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief Exercise in the 
Philippines.  According to Counselor Dmitriy Lukiyantsev, the 
MFA has received an invitation from the Government of the 
Philippines, but the fax quality was too poor to make out the 
details.  After piecing together information from other 
sources, however, the MFA sent out an interagency request 
seeking comments and interest in the exercise.  Lukiyantsev 
expects that the Ministry of Emergency Situations will likely 
be designated the lead agency in deciding Russian 
participation.  He thanked us for the information that U.S. 
and Philippines' disaster relief exercise planners would be 
available for discussions at the December 4-6 ARF 
Inter-Sessional Meeting (ISM) on Disaster Relief in Banda 
Aceh, Indonesia, and indicated that a representative of the 
Russian Embassy in Jakarta was likely to attend. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Post also contacted the Philippines embassy in 
Moscow.  The personnel there appeared to have knowledge of 
the exercise but could not provide information on their 
government's bilateral engagement with the GOR on this issue. 
 Subsequent attempts to reach the official identified as the 
lead have not been successful.  We will continue to reach out 
and to ask that the Philippines embassy resend an invitation 
to the Russian MFA.  Embassy Moscow's POC is Political 
Officer Judy Kuo.  She can be reached at  7-495-728-5042 or 
via email at kuojh@state.gov. 
BEYRLE