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FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0058
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 YEREVAN 000103 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2019 
TAGS: PREL PBTS KIRF SOCI GG AM
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA GIVES HIS VIEWS 
 
REF: A. YEREVAN 71 
     ¶B. TBILISI 196 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.  Reason 1.4 (B/D) 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  The Georgian Ambassador to Armenia 
believes the Government of Armenia (GOAM) is ratcheting up 
demands on the Government of Georgia (GOG) on the issues of 
border demarcation and the disputed churches to take 
advantage of Georgia's perceived weakness and delicate 
psychological state after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. 
Neither the GOAM nor ethnic Armenians in Georgia appreciate 
all the GOG has done for them, but simply demand more and 
more, he asserted.  If the GOAM continues in this manner, he 
claimed, there is a view in the Georgian MFA that Georgia 
should close the border to get Armenia's attention.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C) The Georgian Ambassador to Armenia, Gregory 
Tabatadze, presented his views on the Armenia-Georgia 
relationship during lunch with Ambassador Yovanovitch on 
February 16.  The two discussed the numerous issues related 
to the border, trans-border cooperation, the churches in 
Georgia claimed by the Armenian church, education for ethnic 
minorities, and the situation in Samatskhe-Javakheti (the 
border region that contains the majority of Georgia's ethnic 
Armenians, referred to by Armenians as Javakh).  The two main 
themes of Tabatadze's comments were that the Armenians do not 
appreciate all that the Government of Georgia (GOG) has done 
for them, and that Armenians constantly demand more without 
offering anything in return.  Nonetheless, the GOG was 
looking forward to Armenian President Sargsian's unofficial 
visit at the end of February when he and Georgian President 
Saakashvili will visit a ski resort in Georgia and discuss 
delimitation of the border, as well as other issues of mutual 
concern. 
 
--------------------------- 
Border Issues Take Priority 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) "All we want from the Government of Armenia (GOAM) is 
to delimit the border," said Tabatadze, summarizing his view 
of the Georgia-Armenia Task Force that was held in Yerevan 
earlier in February (reftel).  He claimed the  Armenians are 
demanding too much in the negotiations to delimit their 
shared border, and want to move the border to acquire more 
land without offering other land as compensation.  When the 
Ambassador said the GOAM has told us that Armenia has lost 
over 700 hectares of land since the last official 
delimitation of the border in 1934 and is looking to equalize 
that loss first, Tabatadze responded that he had never heard 
this from the GOAM. 
 
¶4.  (C) The GOG, according to Tabatadze, considers the custom 
of allowing villagers on both sides of the border to cross 
the border at will to work on traditional lands as a 
violation of its sovereignty and an encouragement to 
corruption and other illegal activities.  "We are no longer a 
failed state," he commented.  Upon further reflection, 
Tabatadze added that perhaps the GOG could be flexible on the 
issue, but would need more details such as who would be 
allowed to cross, how far into Georgian territory they could 
go, and who (if anyone) would administer the crossings, etc. 
 
¶5. (C) In the area of trans-border cooperation, Tabatadze 
claimed that Georgia is doing much more than Armenia.  In 
energy, Georgia completed over 200 kms of high voltage lines 
to comply with the agreement to interconnect the two 
countries' electrical grids, while Armenia has yet to 
construct any lines.  With the Bavra to Batumi Road and 
linkage to the North-South Road in Armenia, Tabatadze said 
the GOG will do what is necessary, and has only 80 kms of 
road left to build, putting the Georgians far ahead of the 
Armenians.  While the GOAM wants to consider the road a 
"regional project," the GOG does not, because putting it into 
a regional category would automatically make the road 
Georgia's highest priority and the GOG wanted more 
flexibility. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Reciprocity Demanded for Churches 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Tabatadze's view that "Armenians want everything while 
offering nothing" extends to the issue of the Georgian 
churches claimed by the Armenian Apostolic Church.  Tabatadze 
said that the GOG sent a diplomatic note to the Armenians 
offering to establish a commission to discuss the disputed 
churches but that the GOAM never responded.  The Ambassador 
 
YEREVAN 00000103  002 OF 003 
 
 
pointed out that the GOAM did in fact respond and requested 
that the Georgians provide evidence that those churches 
traditionally belonged to the Georgian Orthodox Church.  The 
Georgian Ambassador agreed that a response was received, but 
countered that the Armenians should show their evidence to 
church ownership first, since the GOAM is the demandeur. 
 
¶7. (C) "We don't want the churches. Everyone knows they are 
Armenian churches."  Tabatadze said, but it would only be 
fair for the Georgians to receive other churches in return. 
He specifically pointed to unused "Georgian" churches in 
northern Armenia currently on the state registry with the 
GOAM.  Tabatadze noted that while there are no ethnic 
Georgians in that area who would use the churches, it is the 
principle of reciprocity that matters and perhaps the 
Georgian Orthodox church could establish monasteries there. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Problems with Ethnic Armenians in Georgia 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) Tabatadze claimed that "there always was and always 
will be separatist interest in Samatskhe-Javakheti." The 
Ambassador stated that no one in the Armenian government 
would take such separatist claims seriously.  Tabatadze said 
he talked to individuals in the Parliament who told him that 
the Armenians were considering invading Samatskhe-Javakheti 
in 1989 but were restrained by the Russians.  The Armenians 
then focused their attention on reclaiming Nagorno-Karabakh 
instead.  Tabatadze noted that GOG commitment to the COE 
regarding the return of Meskhetian Turks, who were deported 
from Samatskhe-Javakheti in 1944 by Stalin, is also a cause 
of tension.  Ethnic Armenians oppose the resettlement of the 
Meskhetians on their traditional lands, Tabatadze said. 
 
¶9. (C) The GOG is trying to accommodate the ethnic Armenians 
in Samatskhe-Javakheti by allowing them to study in their own 
language.  According to Tabatadze, the Georgian government 
funds 144 Armenian-language Schools, mostly in 
Samatskhe-Javakheti, where even exams are given in Armenian. 
Those students are then given additional time to study the 
Georgian language before entering university.  Tabatadze 
compared that to Armenia which has only one school for all 
ethnic minorities. When the Ambassador asked how many ethnic 
Georgian children are in Armenia that would need such a 
school, Tabatadze said there were very few because "Everyone 
wants to go to Tblisi."  Tabatadze said that, especially in 
light of Georgia's generous minority policy, Georgians had 
been incensed last summer when President Sargsian had 
suggested that Georgians make Armenian a "regional language." 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Armenians Not Grateful for All They Receive 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) The Georgian Ambassador's overriding theme was that 
the Armenians, who are dependent on Georgia for trade and 
access to goods and fuel, are not appreciative of all the 
Georgians have done for them and do not care that the 
Georgians receive no benefit for all their good work.  As an 
example, Tabatadze noted the expected March 1 opening of the 
Lars Border Crossing on the Georgia-Russian border.  The 
Georgians negotiated with the Russians to open that border at 
Armenian request, and with the hope that the GOAM would show 
more flexibility on border demarcation.  He claimed the 
opening will not benefit Georgia.  The Ambassador pointed out 
that GOG will receive tariffs and payment for other services 
for the goods passing through that border crossing and 
transiting Georgia. 
 
¶11.  (S/NF) A more sensitive issue for the GOG is the 
Georgian granting of overflight privileges for shipments of 
arms purchased by the GOAM from Russia.  The GOG is allowing 
those arms shipments to pass unhindered as a favor to the 
GOAM.  Tabatadze added that it appears to the GOG that the 
Armenians are purchasing far more arms than their defense 
budget would allow.  He asked if the USG believed some of 
those arms were destined for Iran or the Russian base at 
Gyumri.  The Ambassador responded that we share the GOG's 
concern about the regional arms build-up, but that the USG 
has looked into these possibilities and believes the arms are 
destined for Armenia. 
 
¶12. (C) Tabatadze believes that the GOAM is purposefully 
pressing the Georgians on all these issues because the 
Armenians believe Georgia is in a position of weakness after 
the war with Russia, which has left the country in a fragile 
psychological state. He also believes that the Russians are 
pushing the GOAM to make many of these demands as part of the 
Russian campaign against Georgia.  Tabatadze confided that 
 
YEREVAN 00000103  003 OF 003 
 
 
the pressure from Armenia was not sitting well with 
Georgians, who have repeatedly told the GOAM that they will 
resolve all these issues .  "We just need time," he claimed. 
Tabatadze warned that there was a view in the MFA that 
Georgia should teach Armenia a lesson by shutting the border, 
if Armenia persists in its maximalist agenda.  "We could 
close the border in one day," he stated. 
 
¶13.  (C)  EMBASSY YEREVAN COMMENT: This is the Ambassador's 
first in-depth conversation with Tabatadze, who is an 
experienced diplomat and a sympathetic individual.  He 
obviously does not believe that Georgia is getting a fair 
shake in Armenia and that Armenia is playing outside of the 
rules by complaining to foreign diplomats about bilateral 
matters.  Ambassador noted that countries often seek outside 
assistance when they cannot solve their issues bilaterally, 
and that Georgia was doing exactly the same thing with regard 
to its issues with Russia.  Ambassador also noted that the 
topics discussed were not only of concern in Armenia, but 
also among the Diaspora which raises the issues constantly 
not only with the State Department, but also with the U.S. 
Congress. 
 
¶14.  (C)  EMBASSY TBILISI COMMENT:  Ambassador Tabatadze's 
comments notwithstanding, we've never heard anyone in the 
Foreign Ministry - or anywhere in the Government - seriously 
propose closing the border with Armenia.  Such a move - while 
certainly getting Armenian attention - would not make sense 
on many levels.  It would be a huge negative for public 
opinion and for Georgian business (which benefits from 
Armenia's logistical supply line through Georgia).  Plus it 
would be a hard move to defend while attempting to "sell" 
Georgia to potential foreign investors as a good place to do 
business and to set up "regional" operations that might tap 
into both the Armenian and Azeri markets.  This also runs 
counter to Georgian efforts to reach agreement with Russia on 
opening the Larsi checkpoint - a move that is intended to 
benefit Armenia rather than Georgia.  END COMMENT. 
YOVANOVITCH