By Michael Hikari Cecire (the 16/10/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Though one of the quieter subplots in Black Sea geopolitics, the emergence of an increasingly cohesive trilateral grouping between Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan is reconfiguring the regional balance of power. This entente was officiated in the 2012 tripartite Trabzon Declaration, but is rooted in growing economic and strategic interdependencies. While the grouping remains vulnerable to both pressure from Moscow and internal challenges, this trilateral entente has the potential to be the prevailing player in the South Caucasus if it maintains its upwards trajectory, and its interests largely overlap with those of the West.
by Tavus Rejepova (the 08/21/13 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On August 15, the Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a one-day visit to Turkmenistan to promote Turkmen-Turkish cooperation and development of the trade and tourism industry. Alongside the visit, Prime Minister Erdogan and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov participated in a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of the new international port of Turkmenbashi on Turkmenistan’s Caspian Sea coast.
by Stephen Blank (04/17/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan earlier this year announced Turkey’s desire to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a full member. He openly alluded to the frustration generated by the EU’s refusal to consider Turkey seriously as a member. Erdogan’s speech quickly led to French and German concessions regarding membership negotiations in the EU and most commentators opined that Erdogan was not serious about the SCO. But what if the Turkish government sees no incompatibility between memberships in these two organizations? This article provides an initial attempt to assess the impact of a Turkish membership for the SCO.
The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.
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