SYRIAN CRISIS AND THE SOUTH CAUCASUS STATES
Keywords:
Syrian crisis, South Caucasus, Turkey, Russia, IranAbstract
The Syrian civil war continues to be one of the most pressing issues in international politics. This war created different risks and threats for different regions. Europe has been in the headlines as the region affected the most by the humanitarian consequences of the crisis. However, not only wealthier European states, but also the already conflict-ridden and relatively less developed states in the Caucasus were also directly affected.
These effects stem primarily from this region’s geopolitical location amid the three countries that are heavily involved in the crisis, namely Turkey, Iran and Russia. The civil war at the heart of the crisis and its consequences are being felt in all of the countries of the South Caucasus, especially throughout two spheres: in terms of their population’s participation on the side of the
fighters, and the refugees escaping the war zone to the South Caucasus.
This study aims to review the relations between South Caucasus states and Syria from a historical perspective, as well as to analyze the impact of the crisis both on the South Caucasus region in general, and on each republic in particular. To this end, the foreign policies of the South Caucasus states in regard to the crisis will be evaluated. The perception of the crisis in the states of the region and the effect on their foreign policies will be further detailed; Azerbaijan’s attitude towards the crisis in its position as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and the security risks emerging from the civil war in Syria for the countries of the South Caucasus will also be analyzed.
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References
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