US seeks to take control of South Caucasus – Vladimir Shapovalov

Speaking with Alpha News, Vladimir Shapovalov, Associate Professor at MGIMO University, commented on how the negotiations between Russia and the US will affect the South Caucasus region.

“It would seem that the topic of the South Caucasus is not addressed during the negotiations between the presidents of the United States and Russia. After all, these talks primarily focus on the Ukrainian crisis, then the global context and specific economic prospects, relations between the two countries. However, we must understand that the world is very interconnected, and almost everything in this world depends on Russia and the US, along with China. Russia and the US are superpowers, and much depends on how relations between our countries, which are now in a state of perhaps the most severe confrontation since the 1950s, are built,” Shapovalov said.

According to the expert, if relations between Russia and the United States continue to deteriorate, this will lead to a confrontational scenario in the South Caucasus.

“The South Caucasus is, first and foremost, a zone of instability and, secondly, a region where the interests of major and medium-sized powers collide. The US seeks to take control of the South Caucasus. And the ‘Trump Route’, which was announced during the negotiations in Washington, is clear evidence of this. For the US, the South Caucasus is a serious zone of interest, since this territory is important both in terms of the Middle East region, which is a critical area for American interests, and in terms of relations with Russia, since this is a zone of Russia’s interests, and in terms of the US conflict with Iran,” the political scientist noted.

According to Shapovalov, China is not far from the South Caucasus, and the Belt and Road Initiative makes the region an area of heightened competition between powers.

“Currently, from the perspective of the Belt and Road Initiative, the South Caucasus is an area of heightened competition between powers, including between the US and Russia. If we talk about the fact that relations between our countries may have a tendency towards a certain restoration and normalization as one of the possible scenarios, this situation may have a positive impact on the South Caucasus region. And if the situation with the normalization of relations does not become a reality and relations between Russia and the US do not undergo positive changes but continue to deteriorate, this will most likely lead to a confrontational scenario in the South Caucasus, since for the US this is an interesting region that represents an opportunity to destabilize the situation in Russia, weaken it, and strike at Russian interests,” Shapovalov concluded.