On December 16, 2022, the Georgian Institute of Politics and the Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region organized a virtual public discussion of the policy papers “Geopolitical Shifts in the South Caucasus: Europeanization Perspectives and Energy Policies.”
The policy papers were prepared by six young researchers from the South Caucasus countries, reflecting on their respective countries’ political, security, and societal challenges. The purpose of the public discussion was to enhance dialogue about the geopolitical shifts in the South Caucasus among academics, experts, civil society, and policymakers.
The discussion was focused on the following questions:
- To what extent is it realistic to expect the EU’s enrollment in the South Caucasus as a geopolitical/security actor?
- How could Ukraine-related sanctions evolve the Middle Corridor into a viable transport route in the East-West trade?
- How to balance the regional hegemony of Russia and the EU’s Eastern Partnership Program in Armenia’s foreign policy after the war in Ukraine?
- What is the South Caucasus’ role in fulfilling the European Union’s quest for energy diversification?
At this event, five researchers from the South Caucasus region presented the key findings of their papers with recommendations addressing the governments of the South Caucasus states as well as the EU and other relevant stakeholders. Experts working on the South Caucasus-related topics region also participated in this event as the discussants. During the event, experts shortly assessed the presentations, and they provided input regarding the recent developments in the area, their impact on the relation with the EU of the three South Caucasus countries, and the challenges that are faced due to the new potential configurations in this region.
The event was organized under the framework of the project “Analyzing Geopolitical Shifts in the South Caucasus,” funded by the Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region (HBF).
