Viewing cable 06DUSHANBE2113, WHETHER TO COOPERATE: MIXED SIGNALS FROM THE RUSSIANS IN

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 002113 

SIPDIS 

SIPDIS 

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN 

EO 12958 DECL: 11/22/2016 
TAGS PREL, RS, TI 

SUBJECT: WHETHER TO COOPERATE: MIXED SIGNALS FROM THE RUSSIANS IN 
DUSHANBE

CLASSIFIED BY: Tracey Jacobson, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Dushanbe, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)

¶1. (C) Summary: On September 21 Embassy Dushanbe, together with our Russian diplomatic and military colleagues, commemorated the 1992 evacuation of American diplomats from Dushanbe at the start of the Tajik civil war. The Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division resident in Dushanbe was instrumental in assisting the evacuation, and as usual our commemoration included a wreath-laying ceremony at the 201st headquarters. The Ambassador also hosted a dinner for ranking Russian diplomats and military commanders. The Embassy initiated these events, as we have in the past, in order to emphasize to our Russian counterparts the value of cooperation on issues of mutual concern. The morning event at the 201st was collegial and even festive, replete with heartfelt vodka toasts. The Russians used the American hosted dinner however as an opportunity to send a clear message that cooperation will not extend beyond a shared shot of vodka (or two, or a dozen). End summary.

¶2. (C) In October 1992, the Department ordered the evacuation of the newly established embassy in Dushanbe due to the worsening security situation caused by the civil war. The Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division - now the 201st Military Base - assisted the Embassy with the evacuation. Several years ago, the Embassy began commemorating the anniversary by thanking the Russian 201st command, laying a wreath at the 201st headquarters and hosting a dinner for senior Russian officials in country. For this year’s event, we worked for nearly a month to find a date which worked for the Russian Ambassador, Defense Attache and 201st Commander. We accommodated the Russian calendars by postponing the event until November 21.

¶3. (C) The wreath-laying ceremony proceeded according to script. Even the weather cooperated, with the first snowfall of the season to mark the somber occasion. The wintry conditions also contributed to the Russians’ already marked enthusiasm to turn the morning ceremony into an occasion for vodka drinking. Participating Embassy staff lost track of the exact count, but the many heartfelt toasts offered by both Americans and Russians were offered in a genuine spirit of cooperation.

¶4. (C) At the dinner later that evening, the Russians sent us a very different message. Three days prior, at President Rahmonov’s inauguration, Russian Ambassador Ramazan Abdulatipov informed the Ambassador that he would not be able to attend her dinner on the 21st. He explained he had been called to Moscow for business, but his DCM would plan to attend. At the morning wreath-laying ceremony, Russian DCM Vyacheslav Svetlichny informed the Ambassador that he also had a scheduling conflict. He did not offer to send any other diplomats in his place, and no Russian civilians attended. At the dinner, Russian Defense Attache Colonel Yuri Ivanov took two calls on his mobile phone and excused himself after the first course, promising to return after 10 minutes. He did not return. Of the 201st command staff, only two of the four invited officers showed up, including 201st Commander Colonel Alexei Zavizyan. Zavizyan’s behavior was mildly rude throughout the evening but deteriorated rapidly after Colonel Ivanov’s departure. Zavizyan chastised the Ambassador’s household staff and made a series of sexist remarks. The dinner ended abruptly after he sunk to uttering ugly racist slurs about African Americans.

¶5. (C) Comment: The Russians poor attendance at the dinner was no accident. We worked closely with the Russian Embassy for more than a month to pin down dates and an invitation list for their participation. It is also clear that Zavizyan’s
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incredibly rude behavior was no accident, nor would we attribute it to vodka consumption. Our Russian guests made it very clear that while they will share the occasional toast with us, they do not consider us friends here in Tajikistan and will make it difficult to cooperate on issues of mutual concern. While we have faced intransigence from the Russian military and security elements here in the past, typically the Russian diplomats step in to smooth the edges. On this occasion, the Russian embassy did little to facilitate the events and absented themselves to avoid complicity with their military colleagues at the dinner. We plan to continue to take the high road, proposing areas for cooperation where it’s in our mutual interest. But we won’t be inviting the Russian military to dinner any time soon. JACOBSON