It abuts Iraq, Syria, Iran and the Caucasus; it has a big army (the second-biggest in NATO); in an era of energy insecurity its network of oil and gas pipelines is increasingly important.

• 它同伊拉克、叙利亚、伊朗以及高加索地区相毗邻；并拥有较大规模的武装力量（在北约中位列第二）；在一个缺乏能源安全感的时代，该国的油气管道网络也就日益重要。