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Viewing cable 06MUNICH767, MR. PUTIN GOES TO BAVARIA

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06MUNICH767 2006-10-31 08:30 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Munich
VZCZCXRO4781
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHYG
DE RUEHMZ #0767/01 3040830
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 310830Z OCT 06
FM AMCONSUL MUNICH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3620
INFO RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0304
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUNICH 000767 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL GM RS
SUBJECT:  MR. PUTIN GOES TO BAVARIA 
 
REF:  MUNICH 715 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  The Bavarian government warmly welcomed Russian President 
Vladimir Putin during his visit to Munich October 11.  Shortly after 
Putin's visit, the so-called "Days of Moscow" were opened in the 
Bavarian capital marking the visit of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, to 
whom Minister-President Stoiber awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit. 
 Bavaria was the first German state to open an office in Moscow (in 
1991), and values its relationship with Russia.  A State Chancery 
contact told us that while Stoiber desires to strengthen 
Russian-Bavarian relations and create a free trade zone between the 
EU and Russia, Stoiber still considers strengthening the 
transatlantic partnership to be a priority.  End summary. 
 
------------------- 
PUTIN CHOSES MUNICH 
------------------- 
 
2.  Bavarian Minister-President Stoiber extended an invitation to 
President Putin to visit Bavaria when he traveled to Russia in 2002 
as a chancellor candidate.  The Bavarian government was pleasantly 
surprised when Putin decided not to go to Berlin, Frankfurt or 
Duesseldorf during his recent visit to Germany, but to come to 
Munich, following his visit with Chancellor Merkel in Dresden. 
Michael Hoehenberger, Stoiber's chief of staff at the State 
Chancery, said Stoiber had planned a joint meeting with leading 
Bavarian businessmen and scientists.  Putin's advance team, led by 
deputy protocol chief Markov, then decided Putin was mainly 
interested in scientific innovation and wanted businessmen 
disinvited, but in the end there were two separate meetings with 
both groups. 
 
3.  Hoehenberger said hundreds of businessmen were invited to a 
dinner hosted by the Munich Chamber of Commerce.  In his dinner 
speech, Putin offered cooperation on many fields.  Currently, about 
4,500 German companies invest in Russia, with one third of them 
Bavarian.  Putin stressed the time was right for Russian investment 
in Germany and the rest of Europe -- nobody should be afraid of 
Russian dominance or German dependence on Russian oil and gas. 
Putin said he did not understand German nervousness, as Russian 
partners were no less capitalist than their Western counterparts. 
Hoehenberger told us that the businessmen in Putin's delegation 
represented billions of dollars in potential investment.  The 
Russian gas company Gazprom alone had 300 billion dollars in cash 
and could buy not only one German soccer club, but the whole soccer 
league should they want to. 
 
----------------------------------- 
SKEPTICISM OVER RUSSIA'S INTENSIONS 
----------------------------------- 
 
4.  According to Hoehenberger, however, Stoiber is skeptical about a 
substantial expansion of Russian interests in Europe.  Stoiber 
dampened Putin's expectations with regard to a larger share in the 
aerospace company EADS (reftel).  At the same time, Bavaria 
preferred reliance on nuclear power to a disproportionate reliance 
on Russian oil and gas supplies.  Hoehenberger said Stoiber was 
pleased when Putin told him that while many Russians felt the 
country should economically orient itself more toward countries like 
China and India, he personally believed that a revival of 
Russian-European relations was preferable. 
 
-------------------------- 
EU-RUSSIA FREE TRADE ZONE? 
-------------------------- 
 
5.  Stoiber's suggestion of a free trade zone between the European 
Union and Russia acknowledged the special German-Russian 
relationship, and was in no way intended to counter a potential free 
trade zone between the EU and the U.S, Hoehenberger emphasized. 
Bavarian politicians were of the opinion that economic ties would 
strengthen Russian democracy, just as economic ties contributed to 
the downfall of Communism.  Hoehenberger also said that with regard 
to German-Russian relations, Stoiber and Merkel were on the same 
page; if there was dissonance over Russia within the grand 
coalition, it would be due to the SPD. 
 
------------ 
HUMAN RIGHTS 
------------ 
 
6.  Hoehenberger said human rights had also been a topic of 
discussion between Stoiber and Putin.  However, Putin described the 
murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya as a person of little 
influence.  At the same time, he denied allegations that the Russian 
government had anything to do with the murder.  In fact, such events 
 
MUNICH 00000767  002 OF 002 
 
 
only damaged the reputation of his government, Putin said -- he 
would dedicate all necessary resources to solve this crime.  In 
contrast to Putin, Hoehenberger said Moscow Mayor Luzhkov did 
acknowledge Politkovskaya's influence in Russia. 
 
7.  Hoehenberger described Vladimir Putin as a man who came across 
as an intelligent and focused conversation partner with a good sense 
of humor.  Putin also seemed to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of a 
local brewery later in the evening, as he stayed two hours longer 
than planed - delaying his departure until well after midnight. 
 
---------------- 
"DAYS OF MOSCOW" 
---------------- 
 
8.  Shortly after Putin's delegation departed, another delegation 
arrived in Munich, headed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.  Bavaria has 
maintained an office in Moscow, the first representation there by a 
German federal state, since 1991.  Half of all German enterprises in 
Moscow are Bavarian, with Bavarian companies investing Euro 1.5 
billion in Russia last year alone.  On October 20, Stoiber and 
Luzhkov signed a memorandum on an extension of their cooperation. 
The so-called "Days of Moscow" included a series of economic and 
cultural events and continued through October 27. 
 
9.  Previous reporting from Munich is available on our SIPRNET 
website at www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/munich/ . 
 
NELSON