The Strategic Importance of the Black Sea and The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

BLACK S[A HASIN STUDILS 125 J-IE sTRATEGIC IMPORT ANCE OF THE BLACK SEA AND TtHE oRGANIZATION OF THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION Ali Arslan Prof. Dr., Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, Department of History ABSTRACT . . . . The Black Sea ıs the poınt where ıs ın the middle of the north and outh highways both in the East-West and West-E ast directions of ~urasia, or the fact which rnakes those two ways to be formed. The Black Sea, which separates and inconveniences this natura! situation, might unite and provide convenience in case it is evaluated in the right way. Hittites and the Black Sea The Hittites, who founded an Anatolian-center ed ernpire, controlled the south sides of the Black Sea and dornina ted the Black Sea also by capturing the Crirnean peninsula. The y also controlled the south-north trade. This was the first time in hist ory. The Hellenes and the Black Sea After the Hittites got worse, the Hellenes both colo nized in the Westem Anatolian coasts and the Black Sea coa sts, and tried to control the south-north trade. The Persians and the Black Sea The Persians which, captured the Anatolia, also dor ninated the great part of the Black Sea by controlling the south and east coasts of the Black Sea. The Persians also followed a Black Sea strategy the same as the Hittites'. The Kingdom of Macedon Alexander, who defeated the Persians in Anatolia , dominated the Black Sea partially by controlling the West coa sts of the Black Sea and in the middle of the south part of the Blac k Sea. 126 BLACK SEA BASIN STUOIES Rivalry behveen the Hun and t~e Roman and the Blac kS The Huns who became an ımportan power in E ea ' f h captured the north part o t e Black Sea ın · the urascıa· anq Be 4th dominated both the Balkans and Caucasus, and controll ect entıl' the ·,, part of the Black Sea. The Romans, w ho domınated . Anatolia &e aı the Kingdom of Macedon, controlled the south side s of th afte1 Sea. The Black Sea became a rivalry point for the Huns ;:ıae x ~- ~ The Seljuk and the Black Sea The Seljuk, who defeated the Eastern Roman Empire/B yzantin in Anatolia, controlled the south coasts of the Blac k Sea e dominated the Black Sea by capturing the Crimea, and contro:~ the south-north trade road. The Mongols and the Black Sea The Mongols dominated the great part of the Blac k Sea by capturing the north, east and south coasts of the Blac k Sea. They both captured the east-west and south-north trade road s. The Ottoman State and the Black Sea It is seen that the Ottoman State started a new politica l strategy when Fatih conquered Trabzon and then dominated the south coasts of the Black Sea. This was a strategy to dominate the Black sea in the north-south way and thus to dominate the north regi on. Yet the decadence of the Golden Horde - a powerful state in the Crimea, Ka~an and Astrakhan regions - started a strategy as capturing ~e Crımea, providing aline from the Caspian Sea to the Baltic, securıng the north region of the Ottoman State and making safe the Balkans· It is seen that the Ottoman State captured the Sohum in 1451-54 ~d dominated the Crimea and then the Caucasus Regı· on to the Casp ıan Regıon · ın~· 1 · udıng Tan1an, Kuban, Nogan, Circassia, Chechnya and 5ea Dage5tan ın 1475. Thus the Genoese castles in the Nor th Black were captured, the owners were destroyed and it was blocked tlıe Rus 5 · ıans, who became a power around Moscolv, to move toWards the so~th- The refore the Ottoman State dominated the Bla_6 the Black Sea political strategy Sea wıl in the Period of fatih• OlACK S[A OASIN snıor. 127 tton1an State reinforced the free trade in the region. Thcy '{11e block the trade._They developed the trade in Trabzon Easlern the Caucasus, Azov North Black Sca and Jidll t . -Iran; Batumı nstanta Balkan trade. j\ıatohC 0 Bl ag ı, sur ottoman domınat . . ın. the ack Sea Region continued 'fhe Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca, also called as Treaty of Kuchuk till _the .. in l 774 and the Ottoman State controlled the trade activities ~ ? . d and the Black Sea 1 Enı ~and couldn't penetrate the Black Sea when the region was of the Ottoman State. For that reason England und:rgthe doıni~at from the north of the Black Sea. They established . d to make a lıne . . h Ad . trıe the Fellowship of Merc ant venturers ın London ın 1486. Then ·t became the Muscovy Company. The Muscovy Company signed a ~eaty in 1557 with the Russi~ Czar, who ~eached the Volga Basin, road. England, which d thus discovered the Caspın-Ird :uldn't succeeded making aline in the north totally, would aim to penetrate the Black Sea later. England moved towards the east by choosing the Cape of Good Hope and thus became successful. England, which dominated India, wanted to be strategically effective by controlling the Red SeaMediterranean-Gibraltarian road. England succeeded to capture th the south road- not in Anatolia - in the 19 century. With the Treaty of Edirne, also called as the Treaty of Adrianople, the transit in the Straits of the merchant ships of England, which wanted to penetrate the Black Sea, was free. Therefore the Black Sea, which was an area caused conflict between the Ottomans and Russians, became an intemational sea for the other states especially England got involved. Russian Czardom and the Black Sea The Russians became independent in 1480 and developed rapidly. The Russians, who couldn' t penetrate the Black Sea, dominated the north of Eurasia and started to control the north road. The Russian Czardom moved the north road upper in the north of the Black Sea. Peter~burg became an important city in this period. This situation weakened the south-north and north-south 128 BLACK SEA BASIN STUDIES d the wealthy in this . trade ın. tl1e Binek Sea. it reduce . regıo " t the Vve s em powers to enter ıts own control area in th n.lt 1 e Czardom and served for the Western powers to have rn R~ssill1 ore tr ~ . ty in the south of the Black Sea as well. soverıgn adin . . h ~ ssia ns too k n o ı t c a t s n ı g a t e Ottoman State The Ru en in the 17th century. Wıth . the Treaty of Ku start ak cuk Ka we ect to . . Yllarc . to possess a merc hant ship 1774 the Russians had rıght in th al!\ 5ea and to trade in the Mediterranean by makin g transits ır: straits as well. e The Russians soldiers were let to transit from the straits in 179 1809 and 1833-1841 and thus Russia became nea rly the sole p & OWey in the Black Sea. England ceased the Rusıan . power and milit existence in the Black Sea with the Treaty of Par is in 1856. ary in the period when the Ottoman State weakened and the Russian Czardom strengthened the Black Sea basin bec ame a conflict area instead of being a comın area for the trade. The unconcerned actions of Russia for dominating whole the Black Sea region including the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, and then the opposition of England for this situation and its policy in favor of England caused the Black Sea to become a conflict area globally. The Eastem strategy of Germany united En gland and Russia, and thus the block for the war ships in the Bla ck Sea was cancelled in 1871. Therefore the military existence of Ru ssia became effective again in the Black Sea. in the First World War Russia demanded the Bosphnı and Dardanelles - the exit of the Black Sea - and the other alliances accepted it. However Russia withdrew bec ause of the 1917 revolution. England also wanted to control the straits and penetrate the Black Sea at the end of war. The Black Sea during the cold War Period The Black Sea was a separator region in the bipolar 5Y5teII1 leaded by the USA and the USSR after the Second World Wat• For the reason that is was in the West Block of th Tur Ebast Block of the other Black Sea countries it wa key and in e sn' t a uniting zone The USS b~~ arafıng. ' R closed the north side of Eurasia. Tur~ ecame the market for Europe and the NATO instead of ı,eing l[S BLACK S[A BASIN STUO f29 a d in g tr ansits . tr in r to ra o b a ll . nd co tı ve a ef Black Sea . n p e ri o d in the 'd J 64 aftected Tu rk ey to 19 in A n so n h o t n e O erah S presı cooPe 1ett er o f th e U · 1p o1ıcy · wh e n Turkey w an te d toınt . e rv e n e rh rt'luidmensıoa h T u rk s ın. C y p ru s ostracized f ro m th e waı.• f o r f tthe • . . Although Turke es foUo e g u a ra n to r . ti ea tr th .Y o e ınteraol oviet Eco nomıc -S h is rk u T e as verrunent in spıte th f o y ck, th e T re at go ın. the W e st Blo t· w a s sıgne. . d w h e n the Justice P ar ty was ,as p e ra ıon rime Minister P e th as \-\ d Technical C o o w n d S u le y m a n Demırl a established a n d es ti t ı n r e v o li ci fa arı l a ri st u d on a n d so m e in d er u n Steel an d Ir en theJ a rc h 25, 1967, k Is . d e in rm te de co n d it io n s w e re c Acid Combine, ri on ınet u lf u S . R ef in e1 !, . Bandırm facilities. Aliağ ~:!rıpex, e m o st i_mportant ~h re e w Facıltes The Declaration . ı v e r to ArtVin Cellulose Fıber n o ı g e r e Black Sea n This period c a u se d th N e ig h b o r Relations was signed betwee ood nceming th e co ls co the Principles o f G to ro p e h !,]S~R in 1972. T Turkey a n d Russia n ee w ;: k e y a n d th e et b ea S ck ın th e Bla 29, 1973 were er b em ec D maritime boundarıes n o s e ri n d la n d b o u n d a ntinental Shelf o n o C e on April 17, 1973, a th f o s it im L ~ c e rn in g th e p er io d gained n io at er p o signed. A tr ea ty c o co e th T h er ef o re sıgned. June 23, 1978 w a s y in th e Black Sea. sl u o ri se on za l p ro p o se d to ti O ra t u le ce rg u ac T d te ra a . USSR w a s se p nomic Cooperation co At the ti m e o f th e E ea S ck la B e th iz a ti o n o f d the former te le p m co establish th e O rg a n 92 19 A - es ta b li sh ed in ions in the future. at er This organization p -o co le b a b le t th e pro was established ey rk u developments a n d T d n a ia . e b e tw e e n Russ te d in the Black Sea ar st natural g as pipelin d o ri e p n o ti a m ic cooper orce (Blacseafor) , F ea S and thus a n ec o n o ck la B s a an d rg a n iz a ti o n s ional Confidence The cooperation o eg R d n a y n o e a H a rm v id ed the security ro p 0peration Black S ea S ck la B e e a su re s in th Security-Building M u n tr ie s. of the Black Sea co ts Conciusion tegic tr ad in g poin ra st st o m e th f o Sea een one The Black S ea h a s b ti te s p er io d . The conflict in the Black y . ivel th e H it -n o rt h trade negat th of the World si n ce u so e th d n a th ou has affected th e n o rt h -s f !' /, j1 1 ı: 11, 1 !// I ı /ı ıl 1 1 , : : • 1 ,, 1 130 EtACK SEA B.~s:~ sruoı At th at poın . t the trade roads were u se d fr o m the North o S side in the east-west or wes r o t-east way. Th"ıs m akes wel fare leve~~ the Black Sea lovver. . Since l%0s the North-south relatıons has de~eloped althou Turkey was in the West Blo ck and the ~SSR was ın t~ e East Bıot This period were developed more wıt~ the Organıztio Black Sea Cooperation. The of th~ good relations b e tw e e n Turkey Russia and also Turkey an · ·11 ·ae t he Black and d Ukra11:e wı ı v o r p Sea a cooperation area. The EU mebrshıp o f th~ Balkan countries in the Black Sea basin caused a W estem p o w er to ınterv the Black Sea Nonetheless the EU doesn' t follow a policy to control the Black Sea~ Toe US has followed some policies to be effective in the Black Sea. However the good relation s between Turkey, Russia n Federation and Ukraine don't let any p owers to be effective in th e Black Sea. O n the other hand, it is ri sky the tr ad in g balance to be just in favor of a country. Far inst ance the trading balance between the Russian Federation and Tu rkey to be completely in favor of the Russian Federation will chan ge the relations in the neg ative \vay. The Black Sea countries - lear ned how to make cooperat ion without the external threats - have to make contribution the Bla ck Sea to be a coo~eration area by provid ing balance in trade. Brıefly the conflict harms the B lack Sea countries but th cooperation helps the peop e le in th at region a n d increases welfare. the BLACKSH~·BASIN STUDPE.~ ,. - ... - . ~ , '\ . !\ ı" - ,. l ı. ,_ -~ . ..... ~ ,' -,,,« _ -,;ı ~ J'- ~ • ~v l'Alltws Prof Dr. Makofon YURh' &soc. Prof. Dr. Dmiz EKlNcJ Assoc. Prof. Dr. lsmail MANGALTEPE . .. ;r. Publisher Donetsk National University Publishing ,IJ;otteQbKlill1 H aıti o HaJi b H l1 TİJ: ,IJ;otteQKt1Tii Hmı10aJib ITi y HiBepcwreT Yttl1BepcwreT Book Black Sea Basin Studies Editors Prof. Dr. Makogon Yuriy, Donetsk National University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Ekinci, Istanbul University Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Mangaltepe, Istanbul University Year 2011 Printed in Donetsk - Ukrain ISSN 1990-9187 All rights reserved. Can not be copied without permission. The authors are responsible for writings.