Articles

Tengiz PKHALADZE, Chairman, International Centre for Geopolitical Studies, Georgia. Razumkov Centre’s Roundtable. The Black Sea region instead of cooperation has been turned into the scene of geopolitical confrontation. The Russian Federation – after the World War II, the Black Sea was actually placed under the control of the Soviet empire. As the USSR successor, the Russian Federation is still enthralled by its old ambitions...

Alexey SOLOVIEV, BlackSeaNews. Exploring the shores of the Bosphorus, we ascertained the fact that geography of some points on the world map was predestined for foundation of the cities. Our Turkish colleagues showed us those momentous buildings of Istanbul, which reveal the historical code of this magnificent city.

Alexey SOLOVIEV, BlackSeaNews. There is one more place on the Bosporus which, for centuries used to link east and west – the Altın Boynuz or the Golden Horn harbor. Its shape really resembles a horn, which is stuck for 12 kilometers deep into the European shore of the strait. The harbor is considered to be one of the best in the world. And right there is the historic center of modern Istanbul with its major tourist attractions.

BSNews editorial note. We continue to publish a series of reports of the Commission on the Black Sea which reassess the economic, social, regional political and military developments in the Black Sea region. This is a final part of the first report which provides a better understanding of the parameters of the economic developments in the Black Sea. Its author – Panayotis GAVRAS.

Alexey SOLOVIEV, Editor of Tourism Section of BSNews. They say that West is West, and East is East and never the twain shall meet. My recent trip to Turkey made ​​me to change my attitude to this phrase. Thus, our journey to the country, 3% of which is located in Europe and the rest 97% in Asia, starts in Ukraine, the biggest European country, i.e. entirely located on the European continent.

BSNews editorial note. We continue to publish a series of reports of the Commission on the Black Sea which reassess the economic, social, regional political and military developments in the Black Sea region. This is a continuation of the first report which provides a better understanding of the parameters of the economic developments in the Black Sea. Its author – Panayotis GAVRAS.

Andrei KLIMENKO, BSNews, translation from Russian by Alexey Soloviev, BSNews. The year has started, the one of the 20^th year post-Soviet anniversaries of 1991-2011 and the Crimean anniversary of the referendum on re-establishment of the autonomy. 20 years, that’s really a lot of time. And through these notes your author wants to encourage the Crimean and non-Crimean intellectuals to think over the route...

Andrei KLIMENKO, BSNews, translation from Russian by Alexey Soloviev, BSNews. The year has started, the one of the 20^th year post-Soviet anniversaries of 1991-2011 and the Crimean anniversary of the referendum on re-establishment of the autonomy. 20 years, that’s really a lot of time. And through these notes your author wants to encourage the Crimean and non-Crimean intellectuals to think over the route...

Recalls that the Black Sea region needs active policies and long-lasting solutions to cope with the considerable regional and transnational challenges facing it, such as protracted conflicts, displaced populations, bilateral disputes, closed borders and strategic rivalries leading to militarisation and proliferation of arms, weak institutions and governance and the deterioration of democratic rule, border and movement management, and poor maritime security and safety;

...Whereas the Black Sea Synergy (BSS) has had the merit of recognising the Black Sea region as strategic for the EU, together with the need for strengthened EU involvement in the area; whereas BSS results have so far been rather limited and no clear and comprehensive picture exists of the current implementation results of the BSS, exposing the EU to criticism that it lacks a strategic vision for the region and that it is applying a fragmented approach to implementation...

BSNews editorial note. We continue to publish a series of reports of the Commission on the Black Sea which reassess the economic, social, regional political and military developments in the Black Sea region. This report provides a better understanding of the parameters of the economic developments in the Black Sea. Its author – Panayotis GAVRAS.

Andrei KLIMENKO, Tatyana GUCHAKOVA, BSNews. Unfortunately, a new engagement of the Crimea into the framework of interests of Europe is once again, as in 1853, connected with the war – the Russian-Georgian conflict, which started during the night of 7 to 8 August 2008. But this time the interest of Europe may give the Crimea a chance. Though the Crimea has already missed quite a number of opportunities...

Andrei KLIMENKO, BSNews. The end of June 2010. The conference "Triangle Ukraine-Romania-Moldova: ...” organized by the Odessabranch of the National Institute for Strategic Studies. It was there, when even the first, superficial glance at the almost unknown in the Crimea Trans-Dniester conflict developed into persistent image that the whole Black Sea coastline is dotted with identical, still different, but at the same time impalpably similar triangles of conflicts...

The Commission on the Black Sea, www.blackseacom.eu. The increased geopolitical volatility of the region has proven, time and again, that unresolved issues can ignite into open warfare. Its festering conflicts retard economic development and have the potential to flare up into wider conflagrations. While the opportunity to transfer Caspian oil and gas to European markets raises hopes for regional economic development and prosperity, competition to control pipelines, shipping lanes and transport routes to secure increased political and economic influence...