Present-day geopolitical competition shifts from territorial control  to infrastructure flows

ArmInfo.  Modern geopolitical competition is shifting from territorial control to infrastructure flow, including in the South Caucasus. This is the opinion of  political scientist Vahe Davtyan.

According to the expert, if we consider two seemingly disparate  issues-increasing American interest in the South Caucasus and NATO  plans to expand energy infrastructure in Turkey and Eastern Europe-a  deeper trend becomes apparent: energy infrastructure is increasingly  becoming an element of military planning and influence.

"Turkey is actively involved in the NATO fuel network expansion  program, costing approximately $28 billion. This isn't just about  modernizing logistics, but about creating a unified energy supply  system for military mobility.

The program includes: connecting underground pipelines in Thrace with  southern Turkey; integrating facilities in the Mersin region and the  Incirlik Air Base into a unified supply network; potential expansion  of the system in Eastern Europe; and the design of a Turkey-Romania  pipeline costing approximately $1.2 billion," Davtyan noted.

He is confident that NATO's logistics infrastructure, stretching up  to 10,000 km, is being formed, aimed at increasing the effectiveness  of military operations and ensuring fuel autonomy.

The political scientist added that, against this backdrop, the  political and geoeconomic initiatives of the US (TRIPP) and the EU  (Global Gateway) in the Caucasus are becoming increasingly important.

"We're no longer just talking about economic influence, but also  about the region's gradual integration into a broader system of  strategic logistics. Modern geopolitical competition is shifting from  control over territories to control over infrastructure flows,  primarily energy flows. And it's here that the South Caucasus and  Eastern Europe are beginning to be viewed as elements of a unified  East-West strategic line," Davtyan concluded.