The West`s attempts to strengthen its position in the South Caucasus  have always been situational- political scientist

ArmInfo.  History shows that the West's attempts to strengthen its position in the South Caucasus have always been situational. Political scientist and Doctor of Political Sciences Vahe Davtyan writes in a post  on his Facebook  page.

According to him, in the 18th century the Caucasus was the  battleground for  Russian-Turkish and Russian- Iranian conflicts. "As  a result of these wars, Russia's position noticeably strengthened,  and the Adrianople and Turkmenchay Treaties actually shaped the  geopolitical landscape of the region. The Crimean War of 1853-1856  allowed the West and the Ottoman Empire  to limit Russia's influence  in the Black Sea, without losing sight of the Caucasus. However, the  Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 reestablished Russia's military and  diplomatic presence. Britain's intervention in the South and North  Caucasus in 1918-1920, and prior to that, in 1917, the Anglo-French  Convention recognizing the region as London's sphere of influence, as  well as the US attempts to take control of the mandate of Armenia  after World War I demonstrated the limitations of the West's  Caucasian policy. Western calculations eventually gave way to the  Soviet mega- project," the political scientist noted.

 He added that the current West's initiatives, including those of US  President Donald Trump, appear to be more like PR campaigns. The  West's actual resources of influence in the South Caucasus are  limited, while the main external actors in the region - Russia,  Turkey and Iran - continue to shape the agenda. "The reason is  simple: the geopolitical fate of any nation is largely determined by  geography. Geopolitics in this sense is more of a natural science  discipline based on the landscape  and natural conditions of a  territory. This was clearly understood by  Prime Minister of Great  Britain Robert Salisbury, who declared in the House of Lords in 1896:  "English ships will not be able to climb the Taurus Mountains." From  the historical perspective,  the West can only exert situational  influence in the South Caucasus, as is evident in the current  situation," the political scientist emphasized.