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### Viewing cable 05HELSINKI1116, FINNISH PRESIDENT HALONEN'S TRAVELS TO RUSSIA,

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
05HELSINKI1116 | 2005-10-19 06:24 | 2011-04-24 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Helsinki

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HELSINKI 001116

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2015
    TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM SENV FI AJ EU RS LG UK EN AM
    SUBJECT: FINNISH PRESIDENT HALONEN'S TRAVELS TO RUSSIA,
    GEORGIA, ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

    REF: A. MOSCOW 12264

         ¶B. HELSINKI 873

    Classified By: PolChief Gregory Thome, Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

    ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In late Sept. and early Oct., President
    Halonen has made official visits to Russia and to Georgia,
    Armenia and Azerbaijan.  In Russia, the GOF sees bilateral
    progress on environmental issues and border security, in part
    thanks to the good relations between the two presidents.
    However, Putin complained rather bitterly to Halonen that
    while he wants to focus on his domestic economic agenda, he's
    constantly distracted by "neighborhood" problems like unrest
    in the Caucusus and boundary disputes with the Baltics.  In
    the GOF's view, those issues remain problematic because the
    GOR has not initiated longterm policies aimed at resolving
    them.  In the Caucusus, Halonen's agenda included discussions
    of Armenia's relationship with Turkey and with the EU;
    Georgia's improving relationship with Ukraine and its
    tensions with Russia; and free and fair elections in
    Azerbaijan.  End Summary.

    ¶2. (SBU) On Oct. 5, Presidential Chief of Staff Jarmo
    Viinanen and Special Advisor Paivi Kairamo-Hella briefed DCM
    and PolChief on Finnish President Tarja Halonen's official
    visits to St. Petersburg on September 22 and to Georgia,
    Armenia, and Azerbaijan Sept. 27-29.

    Finland/Russia: Increasing Environment and Border Cooperation
    --------------------------------------------- ----------------
    ¶3. (C) In Russia, Halonen's meetings with President Vladimir
    Putin represented another in a series of what Viinanen
    characterized as productive and increasingly cordial meetings
    aimed at furthering cooperative initiatives, rather than at
    addressing areas of controversy.  The two presidents
    inaugurated a wastewater treatment facility as part of a
    joint Swedish-Finnish-Russian effort to improve water quality
    in the Baltic Sea.  The plant -- plans for which date back to
    Soviet times -- will treat the wastewater of 750,000 St.
    Petersburg residents that previously flowed into the Baltic
    untreated.  Finland has made substantial progress in focusing
    GOR attention on environmental issues and, in Viinanen's
    view, "once Putin became seized with the issue, things
    started to happen."  The health of the Baltic Sea remains a
    crucial regional issue, although one that has become less
    contentious over time as a bilateral irritant between Finland
    and Russia.  For example, Viinanen noted, Putin no longer
    accuses the Finns of seeking to "hamper Russia's economic
    development" when they raise environmental concerns.
    However, he added, the GOF remains very concerned about
    potential oil spills, particularly since Russia has made
    clear that its use of the Baltic as a major export route for
    crude will remain non-negotiable.

    ¶4. (C) On border security, the GOF also continues to make
    progress in theory -- if not in practice.  According to
    Viinanen, Putin told Halonen that Russia remains committed to
    full cooperation and wants to see all border-crossing
    stations fully functional.  Unfortunately, the opening of the
    newest, best-equipped facility remains thwarted because
    Russia has failed to improve the road to it.  Viinanen said
    he expects Russia to find the funds, not only because of
    Putin's intense interest in improving both security and
    commerce, but also because high oil prices contribute to the
    GOR's ability to find the necessary funding.

    Russia and Its Neighbors: Putin Complains
    -----------------------------------------
    ¶5. (C) Turning from bilateral issues to Russia's neighbors,
    Viinanen lamented that Putin appears unable or unwilling to
    develop strategies to resolve disputes with the Baltics and
    elsewhere.  Putin expressed to Halonen bitter frustration
    over his perception that he is continually being distracted
    from his efforts to expand the domestic economy and improve
    Russians' standard of living by boundary disputes and unrest
    on Russia's borders, Viinanen said.  A border treaty with
    Estonia remains unsigned and, as he has in the past (Ref B),
    Putin put all the blame for this on the Estonian legislature.
     Likewise, Viinanen said Putin does not view the roles Russia
    has played in the disputed areas of Georgia as destabilizing
    or counterproductive, and seemed unwilling to abandon
    practices such as issuing passports to people in those areas.
     (Comment: We recognize here that Viinanen's views do not
    track exactly with information reported in Reftel A.  End
    Comment.)

    ¶6. (C) Viinanen's general assessment was that Russia is in
    large part responsible for many of its "neighborhood
    problems," mainly because it has not developed a coherent
    strategy for resolving them.  Each issue, regardless of the
    region, requires a long term political process that must be
    driven by Putin in order to be resolved, Viinanen opined;
    unless Putin is willing to put such processes in place, he
    will continue to find himself distracted from his domestic
    agenda.  If there was a bright spot, Viinanen did report that
    Putin remains extremely encouraged about his rapidly
    improving relationship with Latvia's President
    Vike-Frieburga.  In response to our question, Viinanen also
    said that Putin did not raise with Halonen the issue of
    Russian minorities in the Baltics.

    Finland and Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
    -------------------------------------------
    ¶7. (SBU) On the heels of her St. Petersburg trip, Halonen
    made her first official visit to the Caucusus.  This trip
    comes as the EU looks to establish a policy of engagement
    with the "new neighborhood," and as the GOF begins to explore
    its own options within that wider framework.  Finland took a
    particularly active role in working with the Baltic countries
    prior to their EU accession, although Viinanen cautioned that
    now is far too early to envision such robust Nordic
    cooperation in the Caucuses.  Georgia, Armenia and Azerbiajan
    are "too far away" and far too different from one another for
    the GOF to say what its or the EU's specific role in those
    countries will be at this point.

    ¶8. (C) While in Armenia, Halonen suggested the country's
    leadership look forward, rather than backward, regarding its
    relationship with Turkey.  Continued hostility toward Turkey
    will ultimately prove counterproductive to Armenia's
    interests, especially as concerns its relationship with the
    EU.  According to Viinanen, President Kocharian acknowledged
    this, but noted that a radicalized Armenian diaspora
    continues to pressure the GOA regarding Turkey.  In
    Azerbaijan, Finnish press reports reported that Halonen
    openly called on the government to ensure free and fair
    elections.  To us, Viinanen suggested that both the
    government and the opposition have "taken a lesson from
    Ukraine" which may not necessarily be positive:  the GOAJ
    recognizes that widespread allegations of fraud could prompt
    an uprising such as occurred in Ukraine, he said;
    unfortunately, the opposition also recognizes this, and
    President Aliyev expressed concerns to Halonen that it might
    seek to make false claims of fraud in order to prompt a
    popular movement.

    ¶9. (C) On Georgia, Viinanen lauded the GOG's ties with
    Ukraine and expressed the hope that reform efforts in both
    countries would prove mutually reinforcing.  President
    Saakasvili complained angrily to Halonen about Russian
    meddling in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, alleging that Moscow
    is intent on annexing the territories.  However, Viinanen
    noted that Saakasvili expressed willingness to entertain
    ideas of limited autonomy or other flexible measures to
    resolve the problems.

    Comment
    -------
    ¶10. (C) While Halonen's (and Viinanen's) impressions of
    Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are those of relative
    newcomers to the region, we are encouraged by the GOF's
    efforts to establish dialogue.  As Viinanen noted, it is far
    to early to expect a Baltic-like Finnish engagement in the
    region, but as the EU develops its policy toward the
    neighborhood, any leadership role the Finns might wish to
    play would be welcome.  As for Russia, we note that the
    themes addressed differ little from those Putin and Halonen
    discussed during his late July visit here (Ref B).
    Nevertheless, while some have criticized Halonen for
    eschewing controversial bilateral issues, her efforts to move
    forward in mutually beneficial areas have built confidence on
    a bilateral and personal level.  End Comment.
    MACK

`