Regional Cooperation Initiatives in the South Caucasus after the Second Karabakh War

Abstract

The South Caucasus is presented as a “broken” region especially in the western literature due to several reasons. On one hand, the external actors has had incompatible interests over the territory because of its significant geopolitical and geostrategic location and rich energy resources. On the other hand, the South Caucasus has been scene to numerous long-standing disputes and destructive military confrontations. At the result, the security and peace of the region were jeopardized. Even if different regional partnership initiatives were proposed by the leaders of regional states since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, none of them have been implemented. The outbreak of the Second Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia did not only change the status quo between these two countries, it transformed the geopolitical realities of the South Caucasus and was a “wake-up” call for the countries to understand the necessity of peace and stability for the region. One of the first initiatives put forward to this end is the so-called 3+3 regional cooperation platform which includes the three South Caucasian republics plus Turkey, Russia, and Iran. The initiative was proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the war. This master thesis discusses the impacts of 44 days war on the possibility of realization of the 3+3 cooperation format. It evaluates the benefits the interested parties could derive from this partnership and its role for developing conditions conducive for peace, security and prosperity in the South Caucasus. The research methodology is based on the case study method which helps the author to investigate the six-country regional cooperation from different analytical perspectives. The findings shows that even if there are opportunities for the integration of the region more than ever, there are still challenges for stability and the security of this territory which hinders the materialization of six-party cooperation. In order to end the hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the ceasefire agreement was signed in November 2020. However, it is not enough, and a peace agreement is needed to refrain parties from any military attack and support the reconciliation process. Other requirements for the peaceful and prosperous future of the South Caucasus are the harmonization of the interest of the external parties and the creation of security framework.