The Strategic Importance of The Caspian Sea For Regional and Global Actors
The Strategic Importance of The Caspian Sea For Regional and Global Actors

Author(s): Volkan Tatar
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Geopolitics, Maritime Law
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Strategic Importance; Caspian Sea; Regional; Global Actors;
Summary/Abstract: The Caspian Sea1, which has been on the agenda for a long time, is a geopolitically important region surrounded by 5 states since the debate about whether it is a sea, lake, or border lake includes different conflicts of opinion about the sharing of important energy resources. The most important factors that increase this geopolitical importance are the energy resources in or around the Caspian Sea and the logistics of this energy. The fact that many developed states, especially the USA, European Union members, and states such as China, are interested in the logistics of energy and energy, increases the importance of the Caspian Sea even more. The Caspian Sea was under the control of the Soviet Union during the interwar period and the cold war period. At that time, most of the coasts were under the control of the Moscow-controlled states, which formed the whole of the Soviet Union, while the other reason was that the only way out for connection with the seas was the Don and Volga rivers and the Soviet territory. In addition, the Treaties made with Iran since the beginning of the 1800s are an important factor in terms of the legal basis of this domination. The defeat of Iran in the wars with the Russian Tsardom and the treaties made afterwards changed the influence in the region in favor of the Russian Tsarist and later the Soviet Union, leaving Iran with only a limited area for fishing activities.

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