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EGF
The European Geopolitical Forum

Thursday 23 October 2025

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From the EGF Head of Research:

The European Union (EU) has rediscovered the Black Sea and has developed strategic thinking on how to deal with the Russian threat, the Turkish rise, and how to pursue its own regional interests. However, its ability to ripe concrete benefits from the “EU’s Strategic Approach to the Black Sea region” is uncertain unless it succeeded to resolve the current crisis in European affairs and to effectively sustain regional peace and security. READ MORE
100 issues+ December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022
September — November 2019 mid May – July 2019
Spring 2025 Winter 2025 July-November 2024 March-June 2024 November-February 2024 July-October 2023 March-June 2023 Previous Issues
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News

  • Will Europe use Russian assets to fund Ukraine? Could Moscow hit back?October 3, 2025
  • Putin warns of harsh response to ‘Europe’s militarisation’October 3, 2025
  • France detains Russian ‘shadow’ tanker to disrupt war in UkraineOctober 3, 2025
More
South Caucasus
The Changing Dynamics of the Wider-Black Sea in Regional Security and External Relations
EGF Arab Spring
EGF Head of Research Recommended Reading
EGF Head of Research Recommended Reading
Energy Assessing the European Energy Transition against Evolving Geopolitical Challenges



In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg Adria, Dr Marat Terterov, Founder and Director of the Brussels Energy Club, and Co-founder of the European Geopolitical Forum, assessed the prospects of energy transition in Europe within a complex geopolitical context. In particular, he addressed the main challenges ahead such as: decarbonization of transports, the need for an urgent diversification of energy (in particular gas) supply sources and adjusting the energy markets to geopolitical imperatives (mainly due to EU sanctions against Russia). Regarding the latter, Dr. Terterov alluded to an older issue: “can states control markets?”. While market actors (including suppliers and consumers) do not aim to support the Russian war in Ukraine, they don’t want to become collateral damage either. Gas trading relations are usually very long term. It’s therefore still to be seen how the European gas markets actors would react to Brussels pressures to phase out Russian gas supply over the short term. Meanwhile, Russia has no interest in undermining the European energy transition, but it may be interested to maintain a share of the European gas market, at least by the time it was able to fully redirect its exports towards the East (China, Pakistan). WATCH INTERVIEW

  • Wednesday, 22 October 2025, 04:51
External Relations Restoration of All Regional Communications Is the Only Viable Path to Lasting Peace in the South Caucasus

Benyamin POGHOSYAN By Benyamin POGHOSYAN, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the APRI Armenia

Will the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) set to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan and Türkiye via Armenia help establish lasting peace and prosperity for all? Interestingly, if the Washington Declaration speaks about restoration of all communications, with reciprocal benefits for Armenia, the spotlight has been about the TRIPP and only about it. This oversight misses a vital point necessary for lasting peace and stability in the region. The launch of TRIPP alone will not establish real regional connectivity in the South Caucasus, or create the economic interdependence between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Türkiye needed to cement lasting regional peace and stability. Instead, focusing on the TRIPP will maintain Armenia’s isolation, restrict its geopolitical and geoeconomic flexibilities, while keeping the door open for future escalations over the longer term. READ MORE

  • Wednesday, 22 October 2025, 04:50
Markets China’s Middle Corridor Push Puts Europe in the Slow Lane

Elkhan NURIYEV By Elkhan NURIYEV, PhD, Senior Fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

As Central Asia reshapes Eurasian trade routes, with China and Turkey consolidating influence, Europe faces a strategic test: adapt quickly to stay relevant or risk being sidelined in one of the 21st century’s most consequential connectivity shifts. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Central Asia has emerged as a critical hub in a reshaped Eurasian trade network. Countries from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan are diversifying transit routes to reduce dependence on Russia, giving new prominence to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) – better known as the Middle Corridor. This corridor links China to Europe via Central Asia and the South Caucasus, bypassing traditional northern routes through Russia. READ MORE

  • Friday, 17 October 2025, 03:08
Security Russia Tests NATO’s Eastern Defences

Yunis GURBANOV By Yunis GURBANOV, PhD, Senior Advisor at the AIR Center, Baku

In September, countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reported several incidents involving airspace violations. On September 10, 19 drones crossed into Polish territory, prompting Warsaw to call for Article 4 consultations. In a separate episode on September 19, three Russian MiG-31 jets briefly entered Estonian airspace before being intercepted by NATO air policing units. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte described these developments as concerning and emphasized that the Alliance remains attentive to safeguarding its members’ security. These incidents reflect an increasingly complex security environment along NATO’s eastern flank. The combination of drone activity and jet overflights highlights the challenges of managing airspace security in an era of hybrid threats. At the same time, the use of unmarked drones, short-duration incursions, and deactivated transponders complicates attribution and leaves room for differing interpretations of intent. READ MORE

  • Friday, 17 October 2025, 03:07
External Relations Trump’s Bagram Claims and the Taliban’s Foreign Policy Choices

Shanthie Mariet D’SOUZA By Shanthie Mariet D’SOUZA, PhD, founder & president, Mantraya Institute for Strategic Studies (MISS)

On September 21, the Taliban rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump for the second time in the last nine months. A day earlier, Trump had demanded control of Bagram air base in Afghanistan and had even threatened “bad things” if his demand wasn’t entertained. The Taliban spokesperson was categorical in his September 23 reply: “We will never agree to bargain away or hand over any part of our country.” On being summoned for an emergency meeting by Emir Hibatullah Akhunzada following Trump’s comments, Taliban defence and foreign ministers and intelligence chiefs rushed to Kandahar. There were separate meetings as well among the Taliban leadership. The recent rejection of Trump’s vague threats didn’t occur in a vacuum. READ MORE

  • Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 19:43
Markets Economic Implications of the Washington Declaration for Azerbaijan and Armenia

Aytaс Mahammadova By Aytaс Mahammadova, Energy Security Expert affiliated with the Caspian-Alpine Society

The Washington Declaration of August 2025 marks a turning point for the South Caucasus, unlocking unprecedented economic opportunities through peace, open borders, and the TRIPP corridor. Enhanced trade, investment, and energy cooperation promise regional integration, job creation, and sustainable growth, positioning Azerbaijan, and Armenia as key hubs in global value chains.
The historic Washington Declaration of August 8, 2025, represents a transformative moment not only for regional stability but for the economic prosperity of the entire South Caucasus region. The establishment of sustainable peace between these two nations unlocks unprecedented economic opportunities that extend far beyond the immediate benefits of ending hostilities, creating a foundation for long-term economic integration, infrastructure development, and regional cooperation that could serve as a model for conflict resolution worldwide. The economic dividends of peace are multifaceted, encompassing direct benefits from increased foreign investment, enhanced trade relationships, and the opening of previously closed borders, as well as indirect benefits from improved regional stability, and the ability to redirect resources from defence to productive economic activities. READ MORE

  • Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 19:42
Security The Acceleration of Putin’s Shadow War

Fuad Shahbazov By Fuad SHAHBAZOV, Baku-based independent regional security and defence analyst

Air incursions, military drills, and escalating hybrid warfare hint at a new and alarming level of Russian aggression. Is it just for show?
Russia and Belarus held joint military drills in September. But the biennial exercises were overshadowed by something that may be more ominous — an outbreak of drone and aerial incursions across Poland and the Nordic-Baltic states that illustrate NATO members’ vulnerability to disabling attacks on fragile systems like civil airports. Zapad-2025 is an established Kremlin method of baring its military teeth to its near-neighbours. The official reason for September’s large-scale exercises is to test the ability of the two countries to repel an enemy attack, retake lost territory and secure the borders of what they refer to as their “Union State”. They have often triggered alarm across the NATO alliance, particularly in the Baltic states and Poland, which have a deep historical and recent sensitivity to Kremlin aggression. READ MORE

  • Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 19:41
Energy Advancing Azerbaijan-China Energy Cooperation within the SCO Framework

Vusal GULIYEV By Vusal GULIYEV, Leading Advisor at the Baku-based Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus” (SCO+) meeting in Tianjin, China (September 2025) underlining Azerbaijan’s role in regional connectivity and energy cooperation. Energy is a cornerstone of Azerbaijan’s economy and a major area of cooperation with both China and other SCO countries. As a hydrocarbon-rich nation on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan brings significant oil and gas assets to any partnership. It has leveraged its dialogue partner status in the SCO to advance energy collaboration aiming to diversify its export markets, attract investment in energy infrastructure, and even develop new energy technologies. Building on this foundation, Azerbaijan has gradually shifted its energy focus from its traditional European partners toward emerging Asian markets. Traditionally, Azerbaijan’s oil and gas have flowed Westward to Europe (through pipelines like BTC and TANAP), but now Asian markets are increasingly in focus. China has begun importing Azerbaijani crude oil in recent years. Although volumes are modest relative to Azerbaijan’s exports to Europe, they signal a growing Far Eastern demand. READ MORE

  • Friday, 12 September 2025, 12:50
All discussions

EGF Affiliated Expert Yeghia TASHJIAN has recently co-authored a Policy Brief on “Lebanon’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Recommendations”. The Brief called for a shift toward positive neutrality and pro-active diplomacy, with concrete reforms to strengthen Lebanon’s diplomatic role and global standing. The authors wondered in a conclusive way: “Can Lebanon reclaim its place on the international stage?” READ MORE

EGF Affiliated Expert, Dr. Shanthie Mariet D’SOUZA has contributed a new opinion piece to “The Hindu” on: “India’s Policy Inertia in Afghanistan” READ MORE (under paywall)

EGF Affiliated Expert Benyamin POGHOSYAN appeared in a new episode of the GROONG Podcast where he discussed: Abp. Ajapahyan’s sentence, the outcomes of Moldovan Parliamentarian elections, the EPC summit in Copenhagen, the current status of TRIPP negotiations and Iran’s stance on it. WATCH HERE

EGF Affiliated Expert Alan WHITEHORN published recently a short comment on “Trump and the South Caucasus Accord” on keghart.org. He concluded that: “If Armenia survives over the next decade with no further loss of military personnel or territory due to incremental border encroachments or war, the tripartite agreement may be considered a minor win also for Yerevan”. READ MORE

 

Between 07-10 November 2024, Dr Marat TERTEROV and Dr George Vlad NICULESCU participated in the 28th workshop of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group of the PfP Consortium of Defence Academies and Security Studies Institutes on “Connectivity Risks and Opportunities in the South Caucasus”, held in Reichenau a/d Rax (Austria). Please click here for the programme and agenda outline, here for George’s speaking points, here for the policy recommendations, and here for the proceedings of the workshop

Between 10-13 April 2025, Dr George Vlad NICULESCU participated in the 29th workshop of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group of the PfP Consortium of Defence Academies and Security Studies Institutes on “Emerging Technologies in Conflict Prevention: Leveraging Technology for Peacebuilding in the South Caucasus”, held in Istanbul (Turkey). Please click here for the programme and agenda outline, and here for George’s speaking points.

On June 3, 2025, Dr. George Vlad Niculescu gave a short brief on the outcomes and potential implications of Romania’s 2025 presidential elections to the “Neighbourhoods” Working Group of the Institute of European Studies de l’Université UCLouvain, site de Saint-Louis-Brussels. Read here his briefing.

  • The Daily BriefSeptember 29, 2025
  • Stratfor 2018 Second-Quarter ForecastMarch 11, 2018
  • Stratfor 2018 Annual ForecastDecember 26, 2017
More
EGF Featured Publication from Affiliated Expert Fuad Shahbazov
EGF Featured Publication from Affiliated Expert Fuad Shahbazov
EGF Featured Publication from Affiliated Expert Alan Whitehorn
EGF Featured Publication from Affiliated Expert Alan Whitehorn
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