Washington conference highlights Azerbaijan’s role in global energy projects
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Azerbaijan's role in regional and global energy projects and its increasing role in Europe's energy security were in focus of a key conference in the United States. The event, Joining Caucasus to the World: Railways and Pipelines, was organized with the support of the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center and the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security in Washington.
The Azerbaijani embassy said that hosts of the conference were Kennan Institute Acting DirectorWilliam Pomerantz and a Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Ariel Cohen.
Addressing the event, Cohen spoke about the history of the energy sector in Azerbaijan and the country's role in this field.
The expert stressed the importance of the Caspian region's energy resources in ensuring the energy security of Europe.
Jonathan Elkind, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, also spoke about the history of energy projects in the region, as well as the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor.
The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the EU's priority energy projects aimed at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply, thereby increasing secure delivery. Gas which will be produced during the second stage of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.
Underlining the challenges encountered on the path of the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, Elkind stressed that the project is an example of cooperation in the region.
Joining discussions on the first panel of the conference on Railway Silk Road: Joining Europe and Asia, advisor of the Azerbaijani Embassy in the U.S. Nargiz Gurbanova spoke about the transformation of Azerbaijan into a regional transit hub, and highlighted the increasing relevance of Azerbaijan's role in the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.
Gurbanova informed the participants about investments made in the country's infrastructure, large-scale projects and the simplification of customs procedures.
The event highlighted the importance of regional and global projects such as the international port in Alat settlement near the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.
Azerbaijan's permanent representative to NATO, Khazar Ibrahim, said that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project will link Europe and Asia, which are important players in global developments.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is being built on the basis of the Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish agreement. Peak capacity of the corridor will be 17 million tons of cargo. Initially, the figure will be at the level of one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.
Ibrahim also noted that there is a unique opportunity to resolve conflicts in the South Caucasus, thus making it a peaceful and developing region as a whole.
Addressing the panel, Director of the Office of Caucasus Affairs and Regional Conflicts at the U.S. State Department, Justin Friedman, noted that the U.S. administration considers the Southern Gas Corridor project one of the priority issues.
In turn, Senior Director for International Affairs at BP, Greg Saunders, spoke about the importance of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline project (TANAP).
Saunders stressed the crucial role of Azerbaijani gas supplies in ensuring the energy needs of Europe.
The TANAP project envisages construction of a pipeline from the eastern border of Turkey to the country's western border to supply gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea to European markets through Turkey. Initial capacity of the pipeline is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters per year.
The event also noted that Armenia was sidelined from regional projects due to its non-constructive position. The participants stressed that such a position primarily damages the country itself.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for over two decades, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. The two countries fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region, defying international calls and UN resolutions.