VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHMO #3471 3371349
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021349Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0941
INFO RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 0418
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0185
UNCLAS MOSCOW 003471
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/RSP KSHEIVES
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL EAID MARR MOPS ASEAN ARF RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA: AWAITING INTERAGENCY RESPONSE ON ARF
DISASTER RELIEF EXERCISE
REF: STATE 122937
1. (SBU) In response to reftel request, Post reached out to
Russian MFA's Department of ASEAN and Asia Pacific Regional
Affairs regarding Russian participation in the May 4-8, 2009
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief Exercise in the
Philippines. According to Counselor Dmitriy Lukiyantsev, the
MFA has received an invitation from the Government of the
Philippines, but the fax quality was too poor to make out the
details. After piecing together information from other
sources, however, the MFA sent out an interagency request
seeking comments and interest in the exercise. Lukiyantsev
expects that the Ministry of Emergency Situations will likely
be designated the lead agency in deciding Russian
participation. He thanked us for the information that U.S.
and Philippines' disaster relief exercise planners would be
available for discussions at the December 4-6 ARF
Inter-Sessional Meeting (ISM) on Disaster Relief in Banda
Aceh, Indonesia, and indicated that a representative of the
Russian Embassy in Jakarta was likely to attend.
2. (SBU) Post also contacted the Philippines embassy in
Moscow. The personnel there appeared to have knowledge of
the exercise but could not provide information on their
government's bilateral engagement with the GOR on this issue.
Subsequent attempts to reach the official identified as the
lead have not been successful. We will continue to reach out
and to ask that the Philippines embassy resend an invitation
to the Russian MFA. Embassy Moscow's POC is Political
Officer Judy Kuo. She can be reached at 7-495-728-5042 or
via email at kuojh@state.gov.
BEYRLE