EU and South Caucasus Challenges and Actions for Cooperation - Research Proposal Example

Leyla Zeynalova­­­­ EU and South Caucasus challenges and actions for cooperation (case of Azerbaijan) South Caucasus region is gaining international attention in the last decade after its disintegration from the USSR. For the European Union, the South Caucasus region plays a significant role due to the EUs energy perspective, economic stability perspective, and regional security perspective and this made the EU to have good relations with this region, mainly to counter balance the wielding Russian power in this region. The main research question of this research dissertation will be “Why the South Caucasus Matter?” This research study analyses the Azerbaijan’s relations with the its significant neighbors and other global players so as to see how Azerbaijan can able to preserve a balanced approach in its foreign policy , steering politically between conflicting geopolitical interests and goals of the different nations in the South Caucasus. It is recommended due to its preference in foreign policy and with significant emphasis on its economy development, Azerbaijan should try to maintain an independent approach. Introduction Geographical and Political Context Geographically the South Caucasus refers to the region located in the South of the Great Caucasus mountain range, uniting Europe and Asia by the implicit line of continental stability. Politically the South Caucasus belongs to general naming of the Caucasus along with the separate part of the Northern Caucasus, which is situated in the Russian Federation. The South Caucasus consists mainly of three sovereign states such as Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia (Simao & Freire, 2008, p.225). These are the post-soviet countries. The South Caucasus region has been widely regarded as a single region by external actors, especially by the European Union (Ghazaryan, 2008, p.5). However it is not a homogeneous one. Rather, people living in the region experience high diversity in terms of ethnic and racial cultures, languages and religion confessions. Thinking by personal experience, there are at least three different regions with three different races namely Georgians, Azeri and Armenians with three different religions namely Azeri Muslim, Georgian orthodox Christians and Armenia Gregorian Christian. Thus, one can come to a conclusion that because of the divergent cultures, it is very difficult to develop cooperation on its internal and external levels. Yet, diverse countries tend to cooperate. For example, Azerbaijan entered bilateral trade investment treaty with Georgia on August 1996.Free trade agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia was entered on 1October 1999. cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia – at least one agreement and its date of ratification; cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia on cooperation must be mentioned – – at least one agreement, date of ratification]. These, as we can understand, are different cases of intra-cooperation that have been developed inside the South Caucasus area. Another example constitute bilateral and multilateral cooperation which is taking place under the “Eastern Partnership” initiative (MES. 2014) [Adding: in your own word describe the cooperation, that I am presenting bellow: EaP’s “Eastern Partnership Initiative” sole aim is to strengthen multilateral and eastern partners” among the nations such as Belarus and Moldova referred to as "eastern partners" within the framework of the ENP. (Eastern Neighborhood Partnership. ENP is mainly intended to establish understanding in the field of profound and wide-ranging free trade agreements, access to the EU-grant programs, "movement and security pacts", to make the whole regions as visa-free travel region throughout the EU , to derive benefit from the EU labor market,  evaluation of the EU legislation and regulation adherence, encourages communication among people.  The following structures were created within the EaP multilateral format to deliberate:  - Platform one- meant for, stability good governance and democracy; - Platform two -meant for economic assimilation and fine-tuning to EU policies; - Platform three- for Energy Security;  - Platform four -for Communication among subjects Source: MES. 2014. Legal Framework for Cooperation between the EU and Azerbijan. The Ministry of the Emergency Situation of the Republic of Azerbaijan (http://www.fhn.gov.az/organizations.php?eng-5/menu/382) The same is true about diversity in cooperation between the European Union (EU) and different countries of the South Caucasus. [Adding: what are differences: cooperation has been developed by different Ministries; for example, in Azerbaijan the Ministry of ??? that has been responsible for the development of the cooperation, while in Georgia cooperation has been led by ???. More differences: differences in plans; differences in purposes; etc.] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan is responsible for introducing policies for foreign relations especially with Azerbaijan. Through the joint project of European Education Fund and Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan government is imparting vocational training to its citizens. Azerbaijan government through joint regional project with the Council of Europe on “Education on democratic citizenship” has engaged in a project which is dedicated in the designing of educational programs, textbooks, studies and other materials. The beginning of Cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan There are at least three very important dates relevant to formal cooperation between the EU and the Republic of Azerbaijan which assure us that diverse countries tend to cooperate. As stated publicly by the Ministry of the Emergency Situation of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MES, 2014) the dates are as follows: 1996, 2004 and 2006. On April 22, 1996 the first legal framework for cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan has been established by the signed Partnership and Cooperation agreement (PCA). The framework establishes [Adding: relations, structures, what else it establishes - shortly?]. It will be expanded in the latter stage] The PCA came to force on July 1, 1999. The framework covers various fields of cooperation including such areas as political, legal, economic and cultural dialogue, human rights, trade and investment. The PCA also directs the process of legal harmonization of Azerbaijan legislation with the EU regulations. Among other things, the framework establishes legal mechanisms for the advancement of the cooperation. The main structures cover such institutions and their functions as follows: 1) The Cooperation Council. It defines main areas of cooperation. 2) The Cooperation Committee. It exerts an executive power presenting recommendations to the Cooperation Council and taking care for the implementation of the PCA (MES, 2014). The Cooperation Committee consists of a) the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC), b) the Sub-Committee for trade, economy and legal affairs; and c) the Sub-Committee on energy, transport and environment. These institutions maintain regular dialogue between Azerbaijan and the EU. The members of the committees control, how the agreements are being obeyed and serve as a platform for the open forum to encourage debates on the most urgent issues of the common interest. “The Members of the PCC are kept informed on the outcome of the Cooperation Council and the Committee (executive) and can express its view in recommendations addressed to the Cooperation Committee, the authorities of the partner countries, the European Commission and the Council” (EP, 2014). The European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Azerbaijan as well as to the EU-Georgia and EU-Armenia PCCs is composed of 18 members and 13 substitutes (ibid.). “They hold two meetings per year: one in one of the working places of the European Parliament and one in the respective countries” (ibid.). The next date of strengthening the cooperation is June 14, 2004, which is marked by another step in bilateral cooperation. This is the date on the EU Council decision for the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan into the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). The policy is aimed at offering financial assistance to the neighboring countries of the EU, including Azerbaijan, for its higher level progress in terms of political and economic integration towards common values within the EU. Financial aid has been received by Azerbaijan under the conditions of a rationally designed action plan for government reforms in the country. The EU–Azerbaijan Action Plan was signed On November 14, 2006 (MES, 2014). It is another political document which covers strategic aims for cooperation. It stresses political and economic interdependence of the EU and Azerbaijan as well as promotes stability, security and economic integration. The Action Plan identifies 10 priority areas [MES 2014: 1) contribution to peace; 2) democracy; 3) human rights; 4) business;  5) harmonization of customs; 6) sustainable economic development; 7) convergence of  economic legislation and administrative practices, 8) EU -Azerbaijan energy and transport cooperation; 9) cooperation in the field of justice, freedom and security; 10) strengthening regional cooperation. (MES, 2014). Under the ENP there are different reforms taking place in Azerbaijan, including political, administrative and economic [MES, 2014).In fact, the ENP is an agreement for Azerbaijan to have access to the internal market of the EU in exchange that Azerbaijan implements reforms and demonstrates real progress in the achievement of common values with the EU. Freedom of movement and the expansion of cooperation are among the many common values. Azerbaijan has been trying to guarantee the conditions of free movement of people, goods, services and capital, while promoting further political dialogue, open market and collaboration with the EU (MES, 2014). Collaboration is especially important in overcoming such global issues as fight against drugs and organized crime. Investment promotion and support for  the accession of Azerbaijan to the World Trade Organization are also among the interest of Azrbaijan in close cooperation with the EU. Research Focus and Problem Statement The cases discussed above prove that diversity is not a burden for cooperation between diverse cultures. In this paper, our focus is on cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU: The EU-Azerbaijan cooperation. Why? What is important in this cooperation? There might be at least three reasons: personal, social and academic one. Personal interest. Azerbaijan is the country where I was born and receved bachelor degree at [title of University?]. The EU is the region to which Lithuania belongs and in which I have been studying political sciences at Klaipeda University. Therefore I have a special personal interest in knowing more about cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU for finding more relations between two different cultures that I have had experienced. Practical interest. The next reason of the interest is related to the practical problem … [Adding: on problem statement and purpose] Problem statement: 1. What is something bad in the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation? 2. Why Azerbaijan is not giving more focus for improving fundamental rights concerns of EU? How can Azerbaijan can satisfy the needs of EU in restoring fundamental rights in EU? 3. Why it is necessary for Azerbaijan to safeguard the media freedom as insisted by the EU as its action to order the closure of Baku Bureau of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty which is against its commitment to international communities.­ 4. The term “challenge” means an issue or an uneasy task to be solved. In this respect, if dwelling upon publicly available information, we can find, for example, some remarks on the part of Azerbaijan government presented by the EU. The first remark is concerned with the challenge in the area of fundamental rights in such a situation presented by the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle S. Füle (2013), who states that “ The EU is rieady to enhance cooperation with Azerbaijan on all levels, but the government in Baku needs to improve respect for fundamental rights and bring election legislation into line”. Source: Füle S. 2013. Azerbaijan: EU ready to enhance cooperation on all levels, but fundamental freedoms remain key (http://www.enpi-info.eu/eastportal/news/latest/35496/Azerbaijan:-EU-ready-to-enhance-cooperation-on-all-levels,-but-fundamental-freedoms-remain-key) Another issue has to do with ….: [transform into your own words: the following:] The European Union has welcomed the New Year pardon in Azerbaijan announced by President Ilham Aliyev for several prisoners, including a number of journalists and opposition youth activists held in detention.  At the same time, the EU pointed out in a statement issued last Wednesday that a decision to close the Baku bureau of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was in breach of Azerbaijans international commitments to protect media freedom. Source: EU. 2015. EU welcomes New Year pardon in Azerbaijan but says more should be done to protect media freedom. (http://www.enpi-info.eu/eastportal/news/latest/39557/EU-welcomes-New-Year-pardon-in-Azerbaijan-but-says-more-should-be-done-to-protect-media-freedom) Adding: more issues in cooperation ???? While summarizing what has been said, we can understand at least these challenges for the government in Baku mentioned above: to improve respect for fundamental rights and bring election legislation into line more should be done to protect media freedom. ???? ???? ???? Another inference that follows from the information presented is that it gives evidence on the problematic situation related to the challenges in the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation: the challenges are varied and dispersed along different official and public documents and they need to be systematized in order to be useful pragmatically for facilitating the developing of the cooperation in practice. Hence the research problem (question) persists: what are some important challenges that the government in Baku has the obligation to try harder to solve? Academic interest. What do academics write about challenges in the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation? What are the main challenges? In order to position the novelty of our research we have to turn our attention to an academic interest: what has been already known in academic literature on the question of our interest? How the question has been already approached: what methodologies have been applied while researching question on what are some important challenges that the government in Baku has the obligation to try harder to solve? What are some important answers to the question that have been revealed in the form of a systematic approach to the problem? [Adding: Here you have to present with the short (of at least one page) literature review on what do academics write about challenges in the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation? In a systematized way you have to give answers to the following questions: what has been already known in academic literature on the question of our interest? How the question has been already approached: what methodologies have been applied while researching question on what are some important challenges that the government in Baku has the obligation to try harder to solve? What are some important answers to the question that have been revealed in the form of a systematic approach to the problem?] EU and Azerbaijan cooperation mainly focuses upon energy cooperation, setting up a well-structured democratic political system in Azerbaijan, and help to find a solution to the existing conflicts. Further, Azerbaijan acts as a strategic link between Central Asia and Europe. The cooperation structures between Azerbaijan and EU are fundamentally weak. Further, EU possess no policy sticks but only have some carrots which is able to influence Azerbaijan. To appease Azerbaijan, EU has failed to assume a dominant role in the resolution of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. Strengthening EU and Azerbaijan cooperation will be based on EU’s contribution in resolving the Nagorno – Karabakh conflict solution. EU’s “wait and see” stratagem over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will only destabilize its relations with Azerbaijan. If EU wants to enhance its relations with Azerbaijan, it should stop issuing statement that provoke Azerbaijan as its previous statement that it does not approve the Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity in the same juncture on the line of its support to Ukraine, Georgia or Moldova. Further, Azerbaijan’s level of integration with the EU will be solely depending upon EUs policies in Georgia and Ukraine and Turkey’s EUs membership progress. If Turkey’s accession to EU’s is delayed, then, it may create instability in Ukraine and Georgia that will impact Azerbaijan’s interest. Turkey’s speedy access to EU, and if Georgia and Ukraine also succeeds in their integration efforts with EU, this would definitely embolden and even force the Azerbaijan’s government to search for an analogues level of collaboration with the EU (Huseynov 2009:85). At the end of this paragraph we have to state that the literature review shows the lack of information on the systematic approach to our research problem. Research methodology and purpose The information revealed justify choosing a case study methodology for investigating what is going on in the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation. As R. Gomm, M. Hammersley and P. Foster (2000) emphasize, case studies are useful in particular while trying to understand the situation and trying to develop further theoretical ideas in the detail and holistic manner. Source: Gomm R., Hammersley M., Foster P. (eds.) 2000. Case Study Method. Sage Publications Ltd. Tomorrow I will add myself on what you have to processed in the research methodology Structure of the master thesis The master thesis consists of three parts. The first part … 1. Theory 2. Context 3. Cooperation Tomorrow I will add myself on what you have to processed on the structure Read More