პოლონურ-შვედური ინიციატივა - რუსეთის მიღმა შექმნილი აღმოსავლეთ პარტნიორობა

The study “Polish-Swedish Initiative – Elaboration of the Eastern Partnership beyond
the Russian Federation” aims to make a pragmatic analysis of the Eastern Partnership (EaP)
Project. The main research questions are: Which factors triggered Poland to have an interest
in initiating Eastern Partnership? Why does Russia perceive Eastern Partnership against its
Policy? In accordance to the research question, a hypothesis is illustrated as follows: Eastern
Partnership format, which enables Poland to become a regional leader, weakens influences of
Official Moscow in Post-Soviet states of East Europe and South Caucasus. Therefore, “Eastern
Partnership format, which enables Poland to become a regional leader” represents an
independent variable; “Weakening influences of Official Moscow in Post-Soviet states of East
Europe and South Caucasus” is a dependent variable.
Through the analysis of the initiator county’s motives, it is argued that the EaP format
enabled Poland to become a new regional leader, to implement its “Niche policy” within the
EU and become the main coordinator state in terms of EU Neighborhood East and Eastern
Enlargement Policy. Logically, the latest cause a fear of losing its influence on the region.
The research hypothesis has been studied through the theoretical framework of
defensive realism, which perfectly explains that responses from the Russian Federation
towards Eastern Partnership are based on maintaining the status-quo and political spheres of
influence in the region.