Abstract
The Energy politics is today at the center of the Russian and the Western Balkans relations. It is widely known that Russia has been playing significant role in world energy supply. Therefore, Russian energy companies have taken a leading role in the promotion of their businesses in the Western Balkans. The Western Balkans region has become geostrategic partner as a transit route for the integration of Russia into the global energy world market. With regards to the transportation of gas Western Balkans as a transit route is determined to fully realize South Stream project. In contrast to “a buffer zone” role, in the past few decades the Western Balkans gained an attention from Russia and became an important geopolitical bridge towards Western Europe. Such geopolitical and geostrategic planning of Russia is apparent with regards to gas and oil. Due to Russian South Stream gas pipeline project the Western Balkans became an important European energy transforming center. These new geostrategic games over the pipeline have also revived the Russian historical interests in the Balkans. This paper aims to analyze Russian-Western Balkans relations with special emphasis on energy politics and geopolitical and geostrategic interdependence of Russia and the Western Balkans.
Highlights
The Energy politics is today at the center of the Russian and the Western Balkans relations
The Russian foreign policy towards the Western Balkans was marked throughout the history by the cultural and spiritual closeness
Due to the triumph of the West and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia significantly shrunken in territory (76% of the Soviet Union), population (50% of the Soviet Union), economy (45% of the Soviet Union) and military personnel (33% of the Soviet Union)
Summary
The Energy politics is today at the center of the Russian and the Western Balkans relations. Different forces in Russia, beginning from Evgeny Primakov, began increasingly to seek Russian position in the world politics and more dynamic and realist foreign policy that will strengthen Russian interests. In this εϬ context the main premise of Russian foreign policy as one of the most important tools to ensure steady development of a country and guarantee its competiveness in the globalizing world under any government has been based on a realistic assessment of the country’s interest which has to ensure the national security, preserve and strengthen its sovereignty and territorial integrity and secure its high standing in the international community as one of the influential and competitive poles of the modern world. Average per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in Russia has grown from $1,312 in 1999 to $8,842 in 2007 (Oliker, et al, 2009, 1)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
