Review article
European Union and South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia)
Marijana Musladin
orcid.org/0000-0002-6596-202X
; Department of Communication Studies, University of Dubrovnik
Abstract
This paper will show the development of bilateral relations between the European Union and the countries of South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) through Partnership and Cooperation Agreements, the European Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership. The aim is to emphasize the strategic importance of the South Caucasus for the EU and present key issues which group of former Soviet republics faced from the beginnings of their independence. In order to successfully balance their national and political interests, historical connections and traditions, but also pressures from outside, foreign policy orientation of the South Caucasian countries revolves in a circle between Russia and the European Union. In the same time, these countries are facing many problems in their relationships - lack of bilateral and regional cooperation and frozen ethnic problems, which at any moment can turn into open conflicts. This paper aims to show how the European Union, from the collapse of the Soviet Union, through various policies and instruments, works towards stabilization of the eastern neighborhoods. The key security challenges in the South Caucasus region are performed from a review of bilateral relations between EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Keywords
EU; South Caucasus; European Neighbourhood Policy; Eastern partnership; security challenges
Hrčak ID:
76153
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2011.
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