The Geopolitics of Energy in the South Caucasus and the Prospects for Regional Energy Security Cooperation

The South Caucasus is a region of strategic importance for European energy supply. Therefore, energy security is so high on the agenda of both NATO's and EU's relations with the regional states. However, energy security and geopolitics are bound to remain "innately correlated" in the South Caucasus, because of: the persistence of the unresolved conflicts; the Russian double-play, and manipulative policies; the negative influences from clashing regional powers interests in the neighboring Middle East; the undetermined international status of the Caspian Sea. The current geopolitical fragmentation of the South Caucasus seems to be evolving towards increasing regional energy security fragmentation. In this context, the prospects for regional energy cooperation are rather blurred and uncertain, while they will remain dependent on the prospects of continued geopolitical confrontation in the South Caucasus. However, post-conflict energy security regional cooperation scenarios can offer a sound framework for intra-regional confidence building, and for developing blueprints that could be implemented in the future. They could also play an important role in South Caucasus conflict resolution.