The U.S. and the EU are stepping up pressure in the Caucasus to counter Russian influence — Bloomberg
The struggle for dominance in the energy sector and control over trade routes in the South Caucasus has intensified since the outbreak of war in Iran. Western countries view the region as a strategic hub whose importance has grown due to restrictions on transit routes caused by sanctions and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
Key aspects of geopolitical shifts:
Diplomatic push: A meeting of the European Political Community is beginning in Yerevan, followed by the first EU-Armenia summit.
Financial support: The EU plans to allocate up to €2.5 billion for the development of Armenia’s transport infrastructure to strengthen its ties with Turkey and Central Asia.
Security: The West intends to establish a civilian mission to assist Armenia in countering cyberattacks and disinformation.
Economic integration: The U.S. strategy aims to undermine the Kremlin’s influence in Azerbaijan and Armenia by creating alternative economic networks.
Analysts note that U.S. interest in the region has reached unprecedented levels. Washington is actively promoting reconciliation between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to form a unified economic space independent of Moscow. While Russia has traditionally dominated the Caucasus, it now faces fierce competition from the US, the EU, Turkey, and China. Yerevan’s aspiration to join the EU only confirms the region’s reorientation toward Western centers of power.
Attracting new investments in the digital and energy sectors should unite the region along the lines of early European integration. This will allow the countries of the Caucasus to reduce their dependence on Russian infrastructure and energy resources. Against the backdrop of Russia’s waning influence due to the war against Ukraine, the U.S. is seeking to cement the Caucasus’s status as a reliable partner within the Trans-Caspian routes. Thus, the geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus is undergoing a phase of fundamental transformation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the Armenian capital, where a two-day summit of the European Political Community begins on May 3. A series of bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Norway is scheduled for the first day of the visit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold a bilateral meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during the summit in Yerevan. Tusk announced this before departing for Armenia, where leaders from nearly fifty countries will gather.
