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İqtisadi və Siyasi Elmlər Jurnalı.
№ 4 (9) 2017
Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-
Abkhazian conflicts should be especially emphasized.
But conflicts in the region did not keep it out of the world's attention,
but on the contrary, participation leading states in the region promotes the
struggle for energy resources and favorable geopolitical positions. Each
international actor is trying to take advantage of the conflicts in the South
Caucasus to achieve their goals.
It is no secret that South Caucasus is Asia's own door to Europe. The
rich energy resources available in the region are stimulating the struggle
for interest among leading "players". In the South Caucasus, along with the
political and economic interests of regional actors, cultural and
humanitarian interests also collide. There are Christian and Islamic
civilizations in the region, along with the West and the East, and have
mutual influence.
Leading members of the world community are trying to ensure their
interests by participating in the resolution of conflicts in the South
Caucasus region.
Russia is geographically, historically, economically and politically
closely linked to the South Caucasus in recent centuries and has serious
interests in the region. New challenges of the modern era and threats to
national security from the southern borders further enhance the importance
of the South Caucasus for Russia. One of the areas of Russia's interest in
the region is energy resources. Today, the Kremlin strives to keep control
of the area of oil and gas pipelines passing through the region. Among the
key factors that make Russia's activity in the region alongside the borders,
the
Caspian oil, plays an important role.
Caspian Shelf is one of the richest oil regions in the world. Experts
estimate that the proven reserves of the Caspian Sea are about $ 4 billion
tons (29 billion barrels), which is 2.6% of all world oil reserves.
Discovered gas reserves amount approximately $ 7 trillion cubic meters
[5].
In this regard, Russia is keen to strengthen control over the
development and transportation of Caspian oil, as well as to push its main
competitors of the leading Western countries from the region. It is no
coincidence that the CIS foreign policy concept, including the South
Caucasus, was highlighted major regional priorities as conflict resolution.
Russia has claimed exclusive rights in the settlement of the conflicts in the
CIS since the early 1990s. Within this political line, Moscow seeks to