Russia, the EU and the South Caucasus: Forging an Efficient Over-Arching Cooperative Regional Security Scheme

Abstract

In practice, through action plans and association agreements, the EU has expanded its power eastwards and sought to persuade the FSU neighbors to adopt reform measures that contribute towards fostering the stability and security of their countries, and hence the well-being of the EU itself.3 As a result, the "expansive logic" of EU integration with the purpose of acquiring reliable partners has produced the need to spread and promote European norms and values beyond the political borders of the Union.4 In doing so, Brussels does not promise its South Caucasian neighbors eventual membership but rather tries to make the region more predictable and controllable by creating a secure geopolitical buffer for itself. Despite many shared problems, Russia and the South Caucasus countries are ultimately condemned to coexist and cooperate if they want to survive and prosper as sovereign nations. [...]Russia is bound to remain actively involved in the region in the coming years - a region it definitely regards as part of its privileged sphere of influence.