VZCZCXRO5279
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHSI #0155 0341515
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031515Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2814
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS TBILISI 000155 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA WELCOMES THE SECRETARY'S SPEECH ON 
EUROPEAN SECURITY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Government and non-governmental figures alike 
welcomed the Secretary's 29 January speech on European 
security.  President Saakashvili's spokeswoman on 30 January 
noted that the remarks demonstrated Washington's support for 
Georgia.  He welcomed the "unambiguous position and support" 
from the United States, and noted that this "firm policy" 
ensures that the United States will not allow Russia to allow 
the Caucasus to be dominated as part of a sphere of 
influence.  The president also noted that the approach would 
not let the Kremlin "legalize ethnic cleansing" in its 
expulsion of "500,000" Georgians and the occupation of 20 
percent of Georgian territory.  Parliamentary opposition 
leader Giorgi Targamadze (Christian-Democratic Movement) was 
also positive, citing the speech's encouragement for Georgia 
and stressing that the Secretary's speech would serve as a 
reminder for Russia that Georgia would permanently be on the 
agenda. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a 
statement supporting the positions laid out by the Secretary, 
particularly emphasizing the point that the cornerstone of 
European security was the "sovereignty and territorial 
integrity of all states."  The MFA noted that the Secretary 
stated her belief that the second principle of European 
security was the "indivisibility of security," and that 
common goals are best pursued using existing institutions 
such as OSCE and NATO.  Also emphasized was that the United 
States did not share Russia'ssense of insecurity over the 
expansion of NATO and the EU, believing that enlargement 
increased Russia's security and prosperity, and that NATO 
should remain open to any nation that aspires to be a member. 
 OSCE received a prominent place in the statement as well, 
with the Secretary's comments about OSCE empowerment and U.S. 
proposals for strengthening the organization having 
particular resonance in the MFA statement, in light of the 
termination of the OSCE mission in Georgia in 2009. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Georgian media stressed the Secretary's comments 
citing the need for Russia to honor the terms of the 
ceasefire agreement following the August 2008 war, and the 
refusal of the United States to recognize Russia's claims of 
independence for Abkhazia and South Ossetia.  Liberal daily 
"24 Hours" reported that the speech signaled a change in U.S. 
foreign policy from a pragmatic approach to one based closer 
on common values with its allies.  However, Georgian 
Foundation for Strategic and International Studies expert 
Archil Gegeshidze disagreed, stating that there was nothing 
new in the speech in regards to its criticism of Russian 
policy in the former Soviet Union.  Head of the European 
Research Center Kakha Gogolashvili said that the speech 
clearly set out the U.S. position on recent Russian 
proposals, and that it was a validation that one could not 
view Georgian security without considering the architecture 
of European security.  There did not appear to be any 
negative comments about the speech detailed in the media. 
BASS