Russia-Serbia relations in the context of Russian energy policies in the Putin Era: The case of Gazprom

Unlike the periods of Czarist Russia and the Soviet Union, new trends are observed in modern Russian foreign policy. During the Putin era, the Russian flag was left to the managers of Russian energy companies rather than Red Army soldiers to make it more visible around Europe and Asia. Russian foreign policy, which has been shaped by ideological motives in the past, has shifted to a pragmatic line. The developments that paved the way for the use of energy as a lever in Russian foreign policy started with the nationalization of huge energy companies. During the Yeltsin period Gazprom and Rosneft were privatized and steps were taken to take these energy giant companies from the hand of oligarchs and nationalize them. Gazprom is one of the most important actors of the new Russian foreign policy concept, where energy is used as a tool for these foreign policy making processes. With Putin's government in power, Gazprom began to act entirely as a political actor of the Kremlin. During the Putin era, Russia's efforts to strengthen its power in all areas and the reflections of its active foreign policy also affected the Balkans. Both being a transfer point as a crossing route and its potential as an energy consuming market makes the Balkans quite valuable for Russia. One of the focused countries in Russia's strategy for the Balkans is Serbia. As a crossroad between Eastern and Western Europe, Serbia is a strategic connection point in the Balkans. In this thesis study Russia's relations with Serbia was evaluated within the framework of the new foreign policy trends during Putin's era. The role of the Gazprom company in the process of Russian foreign policy making was analyzed, which developed as the main actor in Russia's relations with Serbia (on economic and energy issues). The research topic was studied within the frames of International Economic Political (IEP) Theories.