Ukraine has made international headlines in the past few years. In 2013/2014, the Euromaidan took place, followed by the plane that was shot down and Crimea got annexed by Russia. As you may know, the situation in Ukraine is still unstable, which is very relevant for Europe in many ways. Ukraine borders the European Union member states and it complicates EU relations with Russia. An often overlooked fact is that Ukraine is home to many oil-pipelines that supply oil from Russia to the rest of Europe. 

Many countries are dependent on oil from Russia, how trustworthy is Russia and what if Russia decided to stop the supply? Professor Bayhramov will offer some interesting perspectives on this topic and will offer a new insight by putting Turkey in the equation, what if Europe starts trading with Turkey instead? Are they a better partner than Russia?

This lecture will be provided by Agha Bayramov, a PhD candidate and lecturer at the department of IRIO of the University of Groningen. His PhD project focuses on the role of energy resources in conflict management dynamics and actors in cooperation and conflict in the Caspian Sea Region. A dominant theme in his PhD research is the network of actors (e.g. companies, states, financial institutions and NGOs) in the Caspian Sea Region. As a lecturer he gives seminars on, for instance, Political Science, History of International Relations, and International Organization. Besides teaching and research, he is one of the co-organizers of the Groningen Energy Summer School (GESS). Agha Bayramov received his Master degree in IRIO fromthe University of Groningen and he has a Bachelor degree in History from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey.

To learn more about this interesting topic, join this Clio Welcome lecture on the 12th October at 19:00 in the Marie Lokezaal, Harmony building. Entrance is free.