Tarih boyunca birçok istilâlara uğramış, kavimlerin geçiş güzergâhı olmuş, çetin ve geçit vermez dağların coğrafyası Kafkasya; stratejik rolü ve jeopolitik konumu nedeniyle üzerinde sürekli mücadele verilen bir rekabet alanı olmuştur. Kafkasya; sırasıyla Selçuklular, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ve Türkiye’nin; Rus İmparatorluğu, SSCB ve Rusya Federasyonu’nun; Şahlık dönemi İran’ın ve daha sonra İran İslâm Cumhuriyeti’nin güç mücadelesi verdiği bir bölgedir. Ancak bölge, zaman zaman kesintilerle birlikte, yaklaşıkiki yüzyıl boyunca önce Rus İmparatorluğu’nun, sonra da SSCB’nin egemenliği altında kalmıştır. Gorbaçov’un, “açıklık” ve “yeniden yapılanma” politikaları gereğince, 1991 yılında, bir biri ardına bağımsızlıklarını ilân eden, Güney Kafkasya Cumhuriyetleri (Azerbaycan, Gürcistan ve Ermenistan) zamanla da Rusya Federasyonu’nun (RF) egemenliği altından çıkmaya başlamışlardır. 11 Eylül 2001 tarihinden itibaren, bölge dışı aktörlerin -başta ABD ve AB olmak üzere Batılı ülkeler-oyuna fiilen katılımlarıyla Kafkasya, paylaşılamayan bir pasta olmuştur. Günümüzde Rusya Federasyonu, güvenliği açısından bölgeye ayrı bir önem vermektedir. Rusya açısından Kafkasya, Orta Doğu’ya inerek bölgede nüfuzunu arttırmasını ve Karadeniz’e çıkış noktasında sıcak denizlere ulaşmasınısağlayacak stratejik bir üs olma niteliği taşımaktadır. Bununla birlikte Türkiye için Orta Asya’ya ulaşma, Orta Asya Türk cumhuriyetleri ile ilişkilerini sıkılaştırma ve enerji ve demir yolu taşımacılığında transit geçiş noktası haline gelme; Batı için Rusya üzerinde yeni bir baskı alanı oluşturma fırsatını yakalama ve Avrupa’nın enerji ithalatı alanında Rusya’ya olan bağlılığını bölge de yeni enerji hatları oluşturarak azaltma; Orta Asya’ da enerji üreten devletler için enerji ihracatında boru hattı çeşitliliği yakalayarak Rusya’ya olan bağlılığı azaltma açısından büyük önem arz etmektedirTürkiye, Kafkasya’da yaşayan ve oradan sürgün edilen akrabalarının varlığı ve bölgenin Avrupa ile Asya’nın buluşma noktası olması ve Türkiye’nin Orta Asya’ ya açılan kapısı olması sebebiyle stratejik olarak bölge ile ilgilenmek zorundadır. Türkiye bölge ülkelerinin bağımsızlığına, toprak bütünlüklerine ve içişlerine saygılı bir şekilde karşılıklı saygı ve iyi komşuluk ilkelerine bağlı kalarak bölge ülkeleriyle iyi ilişkiler kurmaya ve ortak çıkarları gözeterek işbirliği ortamı geliştirmeye çalışmaktadır. “Güney Kafkasya’daki çözümlenememiş ihtilafları oluşturan Yukarı Karabağ, Güney Osetya ve Abhazya ihtilafları, hem bu bölgenin hem de Avrasya’nın güvenliği açısından önemli bir tehdit oluşturmaktadır. Türkiye, Kafkasya ülkelerindeki tüm ihtilafların barışçı yollardan çözümünün bu ülkelerdeki siyasi istikrara ve ekonomik refaha katkıda bulunacağına, ayrıca ikili ve bölgesel işbirliği için yeni ufuklar açacağına inanmaktadır”. Ayrıca Türkiye, bölge ülkelerinin uluslararası örgütlere katılarak uluslararası arenada aktif rol almalarını sağlamaya çalışmaktadır. Türkiye, Güney Kafkasya’ da Rusya ile arasında tampon bölge oluşturma, bölge ülkeleriyle ilişkilerini iyileştirme ve busayede bölgeden geçen enerji hatlarının güzergahında kendisinin de yer almasını sağlama, kendi enerji ihtiyacının bir bölümünün bu bölgeden sağlanması ve kendi sanayi ürünlerinin bu ülkelere satılmasına yönelik stratejiler gütmektedir. Güney Kafkasya'dakijeopolitik, jeoekonomik ve askeri jeostratejik çıkarlarının gerçekleştirilmesi noktasında Türkiye bölgede Rusya ve İran ile rekabet içindedir. Türkiye, kendine ait enerji kaynaklarının olmaması, ayrıca Rusya'nın aksine Güney Kafkasya'daki askeri jeostratejik etki mekanizmalarının zayıflığı dolayısıyla bazen bu rekabette dezavantajlı duruma düşmektedir. Bununla birlikte bölgede Azerbaycan ve Gürcistan ile kurduğu iyi ilişkiler ve “yumuşak gücü” ile Türkiye, Avrasya'daki jeopolitik, jeoekonomik ve askeri-jeostratejik konumunun güçlendirmektedir.

The Caucasia which has been occupied throughout the history with many times, has been a route for tribes, has been a geopgraphy of impassable mountains; has been a place of competition of continious struggles because of its strategic role and geopolitic position. Caucasia has been a region for struggle of powers respectively Seljuks, Ottomans and Turkey; Russian Empire, USSR, Russia Federation; Safavid’s Iran and later Iran Islamic Republic. However the region in spite of occasional cuttings has been under domination of firstly Russian Empire and later USSR for almost two hundred years. Because of Gorbachev’s glasnost and prerestroika policies, the South Caucasia republics (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia) which continiously declared their independencies in 1991, later by time became independent from Russian Federation’s domination. Since September 2011, the region has turned to an unsharable cake through joining of the actors to the game, that are out of the region, the western states especially US and EU. In contemporary times, the Russian Federation gives a special attendance to the region related with its security. From the view of Russia, the Caucasia is a strategic point which would enable Russia to pass to the Middle East and increase its power of influence; and to reach to the warm seas in the opening point to the Black Sea. In addition, the region has a great importance for Turkey to reach to the Central Asia, to intense the relations with the Central Asian Turkic republics, to be a transit passage point in energy transportation and railways; for the West to be an oppurtunity constituting a new pressure realm over Russia, in Europe’s energy importation to reduce dependency on Russia constructing new energy lines in the region, for the energy producing states in the Central Asia in energy exportation gaining pipeline diversity to reduce the dependency on Russia. Türkiye’nin Güney Kafkasya Politikası ve Gürcistan 757 Turkish Studies International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 10/1 Winter 2015 Turkey strategically has to attend to the region, because of the existance of the relatives which live in Caucasia and exiled from there; because the region is the meeting point for Europe and Asia; and the gate to open to the Central Asia. Turkey, now maintains to establish good relations with the states of the region and to constitute cooperational platforms attending the same interests through respecting the independency, territorial integrity and the internal affairs of the states of the region; and through being loyal to the mutual respect and good neighbourhood principles. Nagorno-Karabakh, South Osetia and Abhasia conflicts which are the unresolved conflicts of the South Caucasia, constitute serious threats against the security of both this region and the Euroasia. Turkey believes that the resolution of all of the conflicts in the region through peaceful ways would contribute to the political stability and economic welfare of the states in the region, would also open new horizons for the reciprocal and regional cooperation. Turkey also strives to make the states of the region to take active role in the international arena through joining them to the international organizations. Turkey pursues strategies such as: to constitute a buffer zone between Russia and itself, to improve relations with the states of the region and thus ensuring its existancy in the routes of the energy pipelines which pass over the region, to meet some parts of its energy needs from this region, and to sell its own industrial products to these states. Turkey is in the rivalry with Russia and Iran in gaining its geopolitic, geoeconomic, martial and geostrategic interests in the South Caucasia. Turkey sometimes, stays in disadvantageous positions in this rivalry beceuse of the nonexistance of energy resources of Turkey, and the weakness of its geostrategic and martial mechanisms of influence in the South Caucasia unlike Russia. However, Turkey has strengthened its geopolitic, geoeconomic, martial and geostrategic position in Euroasia, because of the good relations with Azerbaijan and Georgia it constituted and its soft power. Regarding Turkey’s policies towards the South Caucasia, the stability of Georgia and its territorial integrity mean a great importance. In addition, the activation of the frozen conflicts which have the potential towards a war in the region, causes unstabilazing affects over numerous realms primarily economy and security. Ensuring the security and the stability in the Caucasia region, would ease the activities which aim to supply the Caucasian and Central Asian oil and natural gas to the international markets. Therefore, securing the independencies and the territorial integrities of the South Caucasian states indicates a great importance. It’s clear that the the disputes in the Caucasia would be resolved only through constituting an environment for dialogue among the states of the region. The problems which have occured in the region primarily the security of the Black Sea, have potential to cause to reflections in the global level. In this context, the Caucasia Stability and Cooperation Platform concept which Turkey put forward after the South Osetia crisis and the Organisation of Black Sea Economic Cooperation which was established in 1992 with Turkey’s leadership were considered to take an operational role in the resolution of the disputes which occured in the Caucasia. Although the Georgian economy has collapsed by the dissolution of the USSR, because of the economical stability program which it implemented in 1995 with Turkey; and the liberal and open reforms after the Rose Revolution in 2003, noticable enhancements have been 758 Coşkun TOPAL Turkish Studies International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 10/1 Winter 2015 recorded in the Georgian economy. Due to the efforts to establish a liberal market economy; and the produced projects over energy supply and the railway transportation the economy has drawed a positive trend. Although the state has been spoken much in the energy transition, has a limited capacity related with oil and natural gas resources. While the state has an unsufficient infrastructure for industry, aims to recover this efficit through intensing agriculture, turism and energy sectors. Significant investments with foreign capital primarily Turkish investors have been taken for especially the energy realm the hydroelectiric dams; in turism sector, Batumi has been striven to make a regional turism center. The cooperation between Turkey and Georgia has been implemented successfully not only by reciprocal level but also with the projects of regional cooperation such as Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project, Baku-Tiblisi-Erzurum natural gas Pipeline Project, Baku-Tiblisi-Kars railway Project. The common energy, transportation and communication projects have brought a great contribution to the stability and the increasing of welfare of the states of the region. Thus Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project (BTC) and Baku-Tiblisi-Erzurum natural gas Pipeline Project (BTE) which also include Georgia, are the important projects for regional stability, besides the economic welfare. BTC has become active since 2006 and BTE since July of 2007. In addition, the Baku-Tiblisi-Kars railway Project of which the part in Georgia was started to construct in October 21 of 2007, led to increase its strategic importance, and regarding constituting the stability and the welfare of all Euroasia led to an increasing importance. With the BTC pipeline, due to the several critical reasons such as: closeness, suitable loading, suitable climate conditions and terminal operation experience Turkey became one of the most important oil terminal both for the Caucasian and the Middle Eastern oil. Thus Turkey, through linking the South Caucasia and the Central Asia to Turkey and the Mediterranian Sea, has achieved to constitute a strong security corridor which is called as the East-West Energy Corridor, thus has gained importance regarding the European energy supply security. In addition, the risks of the passages through the Turkish straits, which were caused by intensive traffic, have reduced. Moreover the BTC becomes an example for the other pipeline projects which would carry crude oil and natural gas from the states of the region to the markets of the world. Since Georgia is the only South Caucasian state which has a coast to the Black Sea, is also a opening gate for the region and the Central Asian states to the sea. It is on the transit way to link the region and the Central Asia to Europe; and it is most important state which could rescue from Russian monopoly over energy pipelines. It has an geopolitic and geostrategic importance in the region especially for the Western world, which enables to implement a balance policy towards Russia which has an ally like Armenia, and it is on the transit point regarding supplying the Caspian resources to the world. In addition, Turkey strategically has to attend to the region, because of the existance of the relatives which live in Caucasia and exiled from there; because the region is the meeting point for Europe and Asia; and the gate to open to the Central Asia. As a result, Turkey has deep-rooted historical ties with Georgia. Turkey has established and develeoped good relations with this South Caucasus country since the end of the World War I. After the collape of Türkiye’nin Güney Kafkasya Politikası ve Gürcistan 759 Turkish Studies International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 10/1 Winter 2015 the USSR, Georgia was declared its independence on 8 April 1991 and Turkey has recognized it on 16 December 1991. The two countries was signed a Protocol on 21 May 1992, for establishment of diplomatic relations. Turkey and Georgia have established very close relations and cooperation in trade, energy, economy, communication and culture. Turkey is the main trade partner of Georgia. Turkey’s monthly average exported amount to Georgia is more than 119 million USD. Turkey is now the second largest investor in Georgia. Turkish companies have invested in the construction, transport, telecommunications, banking, energy and other projects in Georgia. These two countries are strategically connected with Azerbaijan by Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) natural gas pipeline. Turkey and Georgia has adopted visa-free travel in 2006 and now the citizens of the two countries can travel without passport. On the other hand They have established strong air and highway transportation system as daily basis. Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) transnational railway Project also the output of good relations between the two countries. They also support each other in various international organizations. Turkey and Georgia are strongly committed to continue multi sectoral cooperation for their common interest.