Issue 4 (6), 2016 REGION ORGANIZATION COOPERATION SUBSIDIARY EASTERN EUROPE TRANSFORMATION UNION IDENTITY UNITY ORGANIZATION IDENTITYBLACK SEA INTEGRATION EASTERN EUROPE REGION BSEC REGIONALISM IDENTITY BALTICS ENVIRONMENT VISEGRAD FOUR BSEC POLITICS INSTITUTIONS EUROPE UA: Ukraine Analytica · 4 (6), 2016 NORTH AMERICA • COOPERATION REGIONS AND POLITICS • REGIONAL SELF-IDENTIFICATION • VISEGRAD FOUR AND THE BLACK SEA 1 Issue 4 (6), 2016 BOARD OF ADVISERS Dr. Dimitar Bechev (Bulgaria, Director of the Regionalism European Policy Institute) Dr. Iulian Chifu Analysis and Early Warning Center) (Romania, Director of the Conflict Editors Dr. Igor Koval (Ukraine, Rector of Odessa National Dr. Hanna Shelest University by I.I. Mechnikov) Dr. Mykola Kapitonenko Dr. Sergey Minasyan (Armenia, Deputy Director at the Caucasus Institute) Publisher: Published by NGO “Promotion of Intercultural Stephan Meuser (Germany, Director of the Cooperation” (Ukraine), Centre of International Representation of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Romania) of the Representation of the Friedrich Studies (Ukraine), with the financial support Ebert Foundation in Ukraine, International James Nixey (United Kingdom, Head of the Russia Renaissance Foundation (Ukraine) and the and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, the Black Sea Trust. Royal Institute of International Affairs) UA: Ukraine Analytica Dr. Róbert Ondrejcsák (Slovakia, State Secretary, analytical journal in English on International Ministry of Defence) is the first Ukrainian Relations, Politics and Economics. The journal is aimed for experts, diplomats, academics, H.E., Dr. Oleg Shamshur (Ukraine, Ambassador students interested in the international Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to relations and Ukraine in particular. France) Contacts: Dr. Stephan De Spiegeleire (The Netherlands, website: http://ukraine-analytica.org/ Director Defence Transformation at The Hague e-mail: [email protected] Center for Strategic Studies) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ukraineanalytica Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze (Ukraine, Vice- Twitter: https://twitter.com/UA_Analytica Prime Minister on European and Euroatlantic Integration of Ukraine) The views and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not Dr. Dimitris Triantaphyllou (Greece, Director of the Center for International and European Studies, Analytica, its editors, Board of Advisors or Kadir Has University (Turkey)) necessarily reflect the position of UA: Ukraine donors. (Norway, Research Director at the ISSN 2518-7481 Dr. Asle Toje Norwegian Nobel Institute) UA: Ukraine Analytica · 4 (6), 2016 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS BSEC IS ESTABLISHING A DENSE NETWORK FOR DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION 3 Interview with the Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS H.E. Ambassador Michael B. Christides THE EMPTY SHELL OF BLACK SEA REGIONALISM 5 Dimitrios Triantaphyllou EAST EUROPEAN REGIONAL IDENTITY: MYTH OR REALITY? 12 Olena Khylko RUSSIA’S PARTICIPATION IN EUROPEAN REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS AT THE PRESENT STAGE 21 Olena Snigyr NETWORKS AND NODES: EURASIAN REGIONALISM REVISITED 30 Viktor Konstantynov THE BALTIC STATES AND THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP: A STRENGTHENING FACTOR FOR REGIONALISM? 38 Dovilė Šukytė THE IDEA OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND THE CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION OF UKRAINE WITH THE EU 44 Olga Brusylovska NORTH AMERICA CHALLENGES: NEW PROSPECTIVES FOR THE REGION? 51 Iryna Bochar 2 UA: Ukraine Analytica · 4 (6), 2016 BSEC IS ESTABLISHING A DENSE NETWORK FOR DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION Interview with the Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS H.E. Ambassador Michael B. Christides Is the Black Sea a region? How protracted conflicts in the region influence the work of the BSEC and It certainly is and, perhaps, one of the regional cooperation? most geostrategic regions between central Europe and Asia, with a common history As we all know, our wider region faces today that goes back to thousands of years. The unique issues, like political and economic connecting factor, the Black Sea itself, uncertainty, terrorism, tension among States, makes the region attractive and interesting for various economic and geopolitical to the latest data by the Black Sea Trade and rising xenophobia, even conflicts! According reasons. Just consider its importance in Development Bank, the region of the Black what today concerns Energy, in general, or Sea faces the greatest problems, has the even the “revival” of the Silk Route uniting lowest index of development and is negatively Europe to Asia and vice versa. rated by international economic agencies. Can such organizations as BSEC No doubt, the above problems cast their shadow on the quality and effectiveness of construct a regional identity? the BSEC Organization. Yet we enjoy a long tradition of avoiding the Organization’s Indeed, they can, if this is one of the aims involvement in political issues (solutions of its Member States. The idea and initiative to which are sought in other fora), by for the establishment of this Organization concentrating in the promotion of the in the far away 1992 was, admittedly, economic cooperation among BSEC Member a stroke of genius: it represented an States and beyond. The fact that despite the earnest effort to promote and consolidate in a systematic manner a pattern of representatives of all Member States meet cooperation and coordination among its severalexistence times of abilateral year around issues a table, or conflicts, in order Member States, in a region gaining every day in geostrategic importance. For the not only a dense network for dialogue and cooperationlast twenty five among years, publicBSEC is andestablishing private Regional cooperation should entities of its Member States, but it also be possible – and desirable – «among neighbouring States consolidates a valuable precedence of of a certain geographic area, synergy and coordination in almost all irrespective if these neighbours sectors of economic life, thus contributing are economically equal or not. to the formation of a collective identity of the Black Sea region. UA: Ukraine Analytica · 4 (6), 2016 3 to promote concrete projects of economic of a certain geographic area, irrespective nature, clearly indicates the added value if these neighbours are economically of BSEC’s existence and activity, in a sense equal or not. Regional cooperation, in essence, means that you wish to address building, dialogue and understanding. as a first, initial mechanism for confidence more than one State in a coordinated way, What are the most perspective spheres withcommon a sense issues of influencingbalance among and allaffecting those of cooperation in the Black Sea region interested and committed to the principle for 2017-2020? of good neighbourliness. The existence of a single leading country as the locomotive We wish to be able to concentrate our efforts of regional cooperation can be useful only in promoting, in a coordinated way, concrete if this leading country avoids to gradually projects and the implementation of good adopting autocratic or domineering practices in what concerns cooperation attitudes. in crucial sectors like Transport, Trade, Tourism, Energy sources, preserving the Black Sea environment, among other by promoting Fisheries and Aquaculture in a sustainable way, and on so many other issues Amb. Michael B. Christides, citizen of the Hellenic in which our Organization is involved. We Republic, assumed his duties as Secretary General of will be trying very hard, with the help of the the BSEC PERMIS on 1 July 2015. In 1976, he joined the relevant authorities of our Member States, to Hellenic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, from where retired in 2014. A career diplomat, Ambassador CHRISTIDES fulfil if not all, most of the above objectives. held various key positions at the Ministry of Foreign Should the regional cooperation Affairs of the Hellenic Republic and served in a number have the single leading country as a of Greek diplomatic and consular missions abroad, locomotive or is regional cooperation including in Tripoli, Naples, Milan, Sofia and Ankara. possible only among equals? He served as the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Bulgaria, Turkey, Argentina and Bolivia. Regional cooperation should be possible – and desirable – among neighbouring States 4 UA: Ukraine Analytica · 4 (6), 2016 THE EMPTY SHELL OF BLACK SEA REGIONALISM Dr. Dimitrios Triantaphyllou Kadir Has University, Istanbul At a time when Russia has become more assertive to the point of challenging the mainstay of the international order, it helped establish since 1945, and Turkey seeks to maintain the status quo in the realm of maritime security, the European Union struggles to define its foreign policy objectives and priorities towards the Eastern Neighborhood, and thereby show its gravitas. Consequently, the Black Sea region finds itself more divided, unsteady, and uncertain about its future as regional actors such as Ukraine and Georgia have cast aside their balancing acts towards a turn to the EU and NATO with negative territorial implications. Thus, the fluidity of the international order raises doubts as to whether regionalism is a realistic prospect in this region or it needs to be replaced by another model of regional governance. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Black Sea Regionalism Organization (BSEC) is about to receive a ton of silver as it will celebrate its 25th year The reasons for the not so steady ride of existence in late June 2017. An example towards the Black Sea regionalism are many. of institutional regionalism, the BSEC,