And I understand that it will host a summit this fall to raise awareness and support for Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus.
WHITEHOUSE: President Obama and Prime Minister Tusk Press Conference
Friendship with Armenia might give Turkey the muscle to push through a deal on Karabakh, as well as securing it a bigger role in the south Caucasus.
This calls for a Turkish zone of political, economic and cultural influence, primarily among neighbours (many of them former Ottoman dominions) in the Balkans, the south Caucasus and the Middle East.
Many analysts there have warned that once Russia has re-stamped its authority over the North Caucasus it will turn its attention to the South Caucasus, attempting to reassert its influence there too.
The south Caucasus remains so tense that the European Union has delayed its report into the origins of the Georgia war, which was to have been published at the end of July.
Indeed, he reckons his latest challenge is to prevent the chaos of the Caucasus and Chechnya spreading south and east and into the Muslim lands of former Soviet Central Asia.
The danger, it is now assumed, lies in what Pentagon officials call an "arc of instability" that runs through the Caribbean Rim, Africa, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and North Korea.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Rebasing -- and Reequipping -- for Transformation
Indeed, Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia could easily reignite separatist sentiment in the north Caucasus.
Mr Medvedev's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia may also have unpredictable consequences for Russia's north Caucasus.
Suddenly, the action switched to South Ossetia, a much smaller rebellious region divided from Russia by the Caucasus mountains.
Presumably this means the alliance might set off to keep the peace in the Caucasus or rescue hostages in North Africa, but it will not be dragged off to fight wars in South America or Indochina.
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