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Viewing cable 09MOSCOW1281, RUSSIAN MFA REQUESTS COOPERATION ON BERING STRAIT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09MOSCOW1281 2009-05-20 13:19 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Moscow
VZCZCXRO9021
PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
RUEHTRO RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #1281/01 1401319
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201319Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3346
INFO RUEHYG/AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 3598
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 3243
RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 5364
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 1666
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 001281 
 
DEPT FOR OES/OA, L/CA, AND EUR/RUS 
INTERIOR PLEASE PASS TO NPS AND USFWS 
COPENHAGEN FOR ERIK HALL 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV CVIS ECON EWWT PBTS PHSA PREL KTIA XQ RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN MFA REQUESTS COOPERATION ON BERING STRAIT 
INITIATIVES 
 
MOSCOW 00001281  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
*** CABLE TRANSMITTED UNSUCCESSFULLY ON APRIL 29, 2009. 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Head of Bilateral Relations at the MFA U.S. 
Desk on April 17 raised several Bering Strait issues, primarily 
extending the existing visa-free travel regime to all permanent 
residents of Chukotka and Alaska, agreeing to create a joint 
protected territory, and reviving the Bering Straits Commission. 
Noting that Foreign Minister Lavrov raised Bering Strait issues with 
Secretary Clinton when they met on March 6 in Geneva, he said we 
needed to work expeditiously to achieve some sort of deliverable by 
the time of the July presidential meeting in Moscow.  The issues 
have been discussed before; on the whole, they are not politically 
controversial.  However, they have stumbled on various bureaucratic 
hurdles which have prevented progress.  Joint efforts to advance 
Bering Strait issues could serve as a compelling demonstration of 
progress in the bilateral relationship.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) In his first-ever request to meet with the Science and 
Technology Counselor, Alexander Zakharov, head of bilateral 
relations at the MFA U.S. Desk, on April 17 discussed several Bering 
Strait issues, chiefly visa-free travel for residents of Chukotka 
and Alaska; agreeing to create a joint nature park; and reviving the 
Bering Straits Commission.  He noted that Foreign Minister Lavrov 
raised Bering Strait issues with Secretary Clinton when they met on 
March 6 in Geneva and urged that we cooperate to achieve some sort 
of deliverable by the July presidential meeting in Moscow. 
 
Visa Regime: Extend to All Chukotkans and Alaskans 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
3. (SBU) Amending the existing visa-free travel regime for 
indigenous residents of the border areas of Chukotka and Alaska was 
Zakharov's top issue.  The MFA proposed to extend visa-free travel 
to all permanent residents of Chukotka and Alaska, regardless of 
ethnicity.  Zakharov said that the GOR first tabled this proposal in 
1997, but it stalled because there was no response from the USG.  He 
said the MFA Consular Department supports the proposal, and that the 
MFA will be able to persuade the security services to agree as well. 
 He said regularly scheduled commercial flights ceased because they 
were not economically feasible, but indigenous people still benefit 
from the regime to travel the 12 kilometers that separate the two 
countries by boat.  A commercial company is exploring the 
feasibility of flying from Chukotka's regional capital Anadyr to 
Anchorage, and then potentially to another point in the United 
States, and is working with Alaskan authorities and the FAA. 
 
4. (SBU) Four border posts exist on the Russian side, two of which 
are seldom used.  Although he has no statistics on travel for the 
past three years, Zakharov believes more Chukotkans still travel to 
Alaska than Alaskans travel to Chukotka.  We tried to manage 
expectations by reminding Zakharov that changes in visa regimes can 
take years of negotiation, and that we are unlikely to make any 
progress on this issue by July.  Zakharov countered that Chukotka 
and Alaska are so sparsely populated that agreeing on a visa-free 
regime, which might be able to be extended even further, should be 
achievable by July.  He proposed including a representative from 
Chukotka in the summit meetings. 
 
Joint Nature Park "Beringia" 
---------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) The second item on Zakharov's list was resuming a dialogue 
to establish a joint "Beringia" protected territory on either side 
of the Bering Strait with national park status.  Zakharov thought 
that the visa-free regime would do much to stimulate tourism and the 
development of such a park.  He acknowledged that the United States 
and Russia have been discussing a joint park since the late 1980s. 
Russia has a cross-border park with Finland that could serve as a 
model.  Zakharov explained that while the Alaska state government 
endorsed this proposal, the move had run into snags on the Russian 
side because the protected territory in Chukotka has only provincial 
status, not federal as does the park in Alaska.  Creating a national 
park in Chukotka was on the Soviet, then Russian Ministry of 
Environment's agenda, but not at the top.  Because Chukotka 
authorities wanted to keep the park within their jurisdiction, plans 
went nowhere.  (Comment: Transferring the Chukotka protected 
territory to federal jurisdiction would entail additional federal 
 
MOSCOW 00001281  002.3 OF 003 
 
 
expenses which the GOR may be unwilling to bear in the current 
economic environment.  End comment.) 
 
Reviving the Bering Straits Regional Commission 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
6. (SBU) Zakharov noted that the fate of these initiatives depends 
in large part on the efforts of members of the Bering Straits 
Regional Commission, which has the responsibility for shepherding 
these types of proposals.  The Commission has not met since 2004. 
The GOR two months ago named a new representative by the name of 
Gorenshteyn.  Zakharov stated that the Russian side had lost touch 
with the U.S. representative and expressed a desire to resume 
contact.  He emphasized that while there may not be any inherent 
policy impediments to moving these ideas forward, there are 
significant bureaucratic hurdles, and movement depends upon 
consistent motivation and attention on the part of the Commission. 
 
Other Issues Previously Discussed 
--------------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) The remainder of the list Zakharov passed us follows. 
Zakharov said that these issues had been discussed by Chukotka and 
Alaska representatives in the past: 
 
-- Joint studies and development of oil and gas deposits in Chukchi 
Sea; 
 
-- Establishing regular air connection between Alaska and Chukotka; 
 
-- Establishing air and sea transport infrastructure between U.S. 
West coast and Russian Far East; 
 
-- Cooperation of Russian and American emergency services, including 
Russian Border Guard Service and U.S. Coast Guard; 
 
-- Establishing regular mail connection between Russia and the U.S. 
through Alaska and Chukotka; 
 
-- Joint use of the ice-free port of Adak in the Bering Sea 
(Aleutian Islands) for petroleum storage and transshipment 
(originally proposed by former Alaska Senate President Ben 
Stevens); 
 
-- Simplifying Alaska-Chukotka trade and customs regime; 
 
-- Cooperation through the International Whaling Commission, 
including among indigenous sea hunters; 
 
-- Joint monitoring of whale hunting quotas; 
 
-- Cooperation under bilateral Chukotka-Alaska Polar Bear 
Agreement; 
 
-- Joint scientific research on Global Climate Change, including 
changes affecting traditional nature utilization (changes in 
habitats of marine mammals, routes and times of migration of marine 
mammals and birds), as well as other scientific programs; 
 
-- Joint studies and monitoring of Bering Sea fisheries; 
 
-- Simplifying visits by cruise vessels to populated areas of 
Chukotka, opening of closed ports on the Chukotka coast for docking 
of cruise vessels, joint tourist programs (Note: Zakharov said that 
problems with cruises in the past occurred when ship operators had 
not properly completed all documents in advance.  End note.); and 
 
-- Cultural connections between Chukotka and Alaska. 
 
8. (SBU) COMMENT: The Arctic is a promising area of bilateral and 
multilateral cooperation for the U.S. and Russia, as we have 
highlighted several times in recent months in discussions with our 
contacts and in public fora.  Most of the items on the MFA list are 
not politically controversial, but have stumbled on various 
bureaucratic hurdles, as well as a lack of political will, that have 
prevented progress.  The Russian government would welcome efforts on 
the USG's part to advance Bering Strait issues, and visible success 
could serve as a compelling demonstration of progress in the 
bilateral relationship. 
 
MOSCOW 00001281  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
BEYRLE