Baltic – Black Sea Area as a Geopolitical Reality: Does It Exist?
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Keywords

Baltic Sea
Black Sea
Baltic – Black Sea Area
geopolitical reality
multilateral cooperation

How to Cite

Doroshko, M., & Tsyrfa, I. (2021). Baltic – Black Sea Area as a Geopolitical Reality: Does It Exist?. Central European Political Studies, (1), 107–136. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssp.2021.1.7

Abstract

As the social and political transformations observed in the modern world have recently made current the issue of formation of new geopolitical regions, the Baltic – Black Sea Area deserves particular attention because the geopolitical status of this junction territory still remains questionable. The geopolitical boundaries of the Baltic – Black Sea Area are constantly changing not only functionally, but also structurally, which is why it can be considered as a specific geopolitical formation located at the junction of the two geopolitical mega-regions of Western Europe and Northern Eurasia. This area is highly fragmented and still undergoing very painful political, cultural, and economic transformations. The power competition between Russia, NATO and the EU, as well as the region’s historical legacy have determined the path of its development. As a result, the Baltic – Black Sea Area does not have any system of political division or economic management, but close connections between the countries located there and many spheres of their common interest promote comprehensive cooperation and dialogue on a variety of issues. If their cooperation leads to multilateral relationships based on the principle of the sovereign equality of states which are trying to expand the scope of their collaboration and limit the scope of confrontation, they could organize a system of complementary elements which provide synergies and ensure the existence of the Baltic – Black Sea Area as a geopolitical reality.

https://doi.org/10.14746/ssp.2021.1.7
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