Adonis Diaries

Are you familiar with the isthmuses of Dardanelles and the Bosphorus that crosses Istanbul (the capital of Turkey)?  The Bosphorus isthmus and lately the Danube River are the unique water entrances to the dying and heavily polluted Black Sea. The water is low on salt because rivers are its sources such as the Dniester and the Danube. Oxygen in the water is depleting and algae are increasing.  Eight States have strategic and economic ports on this sea.  On the south side, Turkey has 4 ports (Zonguldak, Sinope, Samsun, and Trabzon). On the east side, Georgia has two ports: Batumi and Poti.  Abkhazia has the port of Sukhumi.  On the north side, Russia has three official ports of Adler, Sochi, and Novorosiisk and two Ukrainian ports that it manages as military bases and for trades such as Sebastopol and Odessa.  On the west side, Roumania has the port of Tulcea and Bulgaria has Varna.  The Danube River flows in the delta of Tulcea; major navigation works are done on the Danube that will link the Black Sea to six European States of Roumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. More than 80% of merchant ships and military navies that enter or exit the Bosphorus are for Russia trades.

This quick background overview hides serious strategic interests among the Caucasus States, Turkey, Russia, and Europe.  The coast of over 600 kilometers from Sinope to Trabzon and all the way to Poti in Georgia is mostly transformed by concrete constructions. A highway deprives the coastal towns and cities  access to the shores of the Black Sea.  The people around Sinope have mobilized to prevent a nuclear power project.

The port of Samsun and its regions are mostly populated by Tcherkess.  They were deported and fled from the area stretching from Novorossiisk to Sochi by Imperial Russia after they were defeated in 1864 at the battle of Kbaada.  That location is currently named Krasnaia Poliana where 2014 winter Olympic games are planned.  So many Tcherkess died during the crossing toward the Ottoman Empire and were thrown overboard ships that they refuse to eat fish or even doing any fishing.

The port of Trabzon or Trebizonde was populated by Greeks who were transferred by the Lausanne treaty after Ataturk defeated the Greek army in Turkey around 1923. Currently, Trabzon is witnessing resurgence in the application of Islamic laws; people converge to the port for alcohol consumption where bars cater to Russians.  Trabzon ferries mostly to Sochi and the Georgian ports.  There are no trade or communication between russia and Georgia since the 2008 war.

Batumi is run KazTransOil for a concession of 49 years; this port receives 7 million tons of oil ferried from Azerbaijan, Kazakhestan, and Turkmenistan.  The Turks patronize Batumi casinos.

Poti port is run by Ras Al-Khaima emirate for a 49 year-concession. Poti is becoming the main maritime entrance to the Caucasus States and Central Asia.

Sebastopol is a Ukrainian port run by Russia; it is he headquarter for Russian Black Sea fleet of 28,000 Russian marines.

Odessa is also in Ukraine but managed by Russia.  The delta where the Danube ends is rich in oil and gas reserves.