The South Caucasus conundrum in the Black Sea
The South Caucasus conundrum in the Black Sea

Summary/Abstract: The recent NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum held in October 2019 rightly underlined the need for new ideas, skills and partnerships. It also stressed the need for viable security structures that are capable of meeting modern challenges. These needs are especially relevant when considering the current geopolitics and geoeconomics of the Black Sea region. Historically a space dominated by international trade, the area is now increasingly an arena of geopolitical competition and rivalry. This situation is only aggravated by the complexity of the conflicts that exist along its shores and by a notable lack of multilateral arrangements that are capable of ensuring some sense of balance. It is even more important for the three South Caucasus countries to develop a basic framework for co-operation. Certainly, even though the South Caucasus “big three” – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – do not agree on regional geopolitics, it is important that they coordinate their ambitions for trade and commerce. Reality, however, has proven that these ideas will be difficult to implement. This lack of agreement can be explained by the domestic and international outooks of these states.

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