Caspian Littoral Region Attracts Close Attention of Outside Countries

On August 15, 2017, the international virtual roundtable “Caspian Littoral Region as an Object of International Policy: Interests of External Countries” took place in Astrakhan. This was the sixth meeting of the Caspian Expert Club.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the Caspian Littoral Region attracted close attention of international policy and the public. The international community began to perceive it not as a secluded and static area, but as a part of global geopolitical interaction. At the same time, the Region is actually a site of multi-vector rivalry between those states and powers that would like to dominate in this strategically important area.

The roundtable was arranged by the Center of Eurasian Political Research of Astrakhan State University and by the Astrakhan 24 TV Channel. Experts from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan took part in it.

Dr. Andrey Syzranov, Chief of the Center of Eurasian Political Research of ASU, moderated the roundtable. He remarked: “The most important external factor influencing the Caspian Littoral Region is a considerable increase in the number of countries that pursue their geopolitical and geoeconomic goals here. Besides the traditional geopolitical players (Russian, the USA, the UK, Turkey, and Iran), other countries, such as France, Germany, China, Saudi Arabia, are expanding here both politically and economically. The Region is a crucial bridge between the North and the South. The local situation is largely influenced by political factors: similarities and differences between national interests and the littoral and neighboring countries, the geopolitical outlook in this area, and the overall international background. These factors make the issue of security in this Region topical. The zone of the Caspian Sea and the littoral areas attracts attention of many countries in the world not only because of its rich hydrocarbon deposits, but also for geopolitical and geostrategic reasons, which determines economic, political, and military strategic interests of the key subjects of the world policy”.

Mr. Vladislav Kondratyev, Chief of the CASP-GEO Information Analytical Portal: “Today American geopoliticians pay much attention to the Caspian Littoral Region. First of all, that’s because this Region occupies a key position on the Eurasian continent, whereas the USA sets itself a long-term goal to dominate in Eurasia. Characterizing the geopolitical importance of the Caspian Region, one usually identifies such factors as its excellent geographical and military strategic position in Eurasia, considerable deposits of hydrocarbons, crossroads of major traffic channels, and rich biological resources. We should expect that the US policy towards the Caspian Sea will not change in the short-term run”.

Dr. Kseniya Tyurenkova, a political researcher from Astrakhan, told about the image of the Caspian Littoral Region in western media. She pointed out that this image is associated mainly with military issues: “The European rhetoric towards the Caspian Sea displays real geopolitical interest, as well as real concern”.

Mr. Zamir Karazhanov, Editor-in-Chief of the Caspian Bridge Information Analytical Center, pointed out that despite their diverse interests and orientations in their foreign policies, the Caspian littoral countries ought to find common ground to develop their common policy related to the Caspian Sea. Common ground should be found not just in power engineering, but also in humanitarian cooperation and tourism. The speaker also emphasized the fact that the Arabic monarchies of the Middle East pursue their special interests in the Caspian Littoral Region.

Mr. Ali Gajizadeh, who supervises the project “Large Middle East” in Azerbaijan, provided a detailed analysis of Saudi Arabia’s policy in the Caspian Littoral Region. In particular, he remarked that Arabs’ primary aim in this Region is to restrain Iran.

Mr. Eduard Poletaev, Chief of the Public Fund “World of Eurasia”, concerned the theme of security in the Caspian Littoral Region. He pointed out that the external players’ interests are quite closely intertwined both mutually and in relations with the Caspian littoral countries.

Mr. Eduard Zakharyash, a political observer, emphasized the fact that many countries and international organizations pursue their interests in the Caspian Littoral Region: “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the world powers are interested in oil and gas, so issues of collective security are now of top priority for the Caspian countries. It is extremely dangerous to play just on your own here. The solution to this issue is applying a common approach, which implies an agreed Caspian-related policy of each of the five littoral countries. It’s necessary to establish common mechanisms of security in the Caspian Littoral Region”.

Mr. Ilgar Velizadeh, who heads the club of political observers “Southern Caucasus”, said that the Caspian Region was always a zone of interaction between the world civilizations. Nowadays, in his opinion, it is of special interest for the key powers of the world from different positions, e.g. to execute three large energy transportation routes: North – South, West – East, and South – West. The speaker also remarked that tackling the topical issues of the Caspian-related policy by the littoral countries is impossible without common approaches and actions.

Mr. Andrey Chebotarev, Director of the Center of Topical Research “Alternative” in Kazakhstan, believes that the United States and the European Union are the most active external players in the Caspian Littoral Region. At the same time, the Eastern players are also active, e.g. China, whose activities towards the Caspian traffic and logistics are not swift, but large-scale and goal-oriented.

Dr. Sergey Novoselov, an Associate Professor of the Chair of Political Science and International Relations of Astrakhan State University, strongly believes that the foreign policy of the United States pays much attention to the Caspian Littoral Region not just for economic reasons; it also aims to counteract Russia and Iran.

Mr. Azamat Aminov, who heads the Astrakhan Branch of the Russian Peoples Youth Assembly, remarked that the Caspian Littoral Region concentrates interests of not just the littoral countries, but also their neighbors, e.g. Uzbekistan, which is now highly interested in developing its economic cooperation with the Caspian littoral countries.

Mr. Nurbek Shaymakov, who heads the sector of interregional cooperation in the Unit of CIS Countries and Russian Regions of the Ministry of International & Foreign Economic Relations of Astrakhan Region, pointed out that the most crucial issue, which largely determines relationship between the Caspian littoral countries and which requires an urgent solution, is the issue of the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

The experts agreed that the above-mentioned aspects make it topical to establish a single security system in the Caspian Littoral Region to prevent emergence and development of conflict situations. In this respect, it is essential to remark that establishment of a security system in this Region is considerably complicated due to different foreign policies of the littoral countries and owing to a significant impact of external powers upon the local geopolitical situation.

To counteract negative external influence upon security in the Caspian Littoral Region, laborious work is necessary. The following action must be taken: development of a security cooperation mechanism in this Region, constructive resolution of various contradictions within this area, and a well-reasoned development of relations with international security bodies.