Azernews.Az

US Under Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns started a visit to the South Caucasus region on Monday. During the visit, which will last until Thursday, he is expected to meet officials and civil society representatives in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia to discuss regional peace and security, economic development and democratic reforms, the US State Department said in a statement.

Azerbaijani analysts say Burns will focus on regional security issues during his talks in Azerbaijan, for several reasons, with a key one being energy projects.

Elkhan Shahinoglu, the head of Baku-based Atlas research center, says that since the United States is interested in the supplies of Azerbaijan’s energy resources to European markets, energy projects will top the agenda of discussions.

"Nabucco and Trans-Caspian [pipeline] projects have come to the forefront in the past days," Shahinoglu said. "Azerbaijan faces pressure from Iran and Russia. But America is interested in transporting Azerbaijan’s energy resources to Europe. I therefore think that these [issues] will be discussed during William Burns’ visit to Baku."

The Nabucco project seeks to deliver Caspian and Central Asian gas to European markets bypassing Russia. The pipeline is part of planned links known as the Southern Corridor, intended to reduce EU dependence on Russian gas. The 300-kilometer Trans-Caspian pipeline, which is to link Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, is part of Nabucco.

Shahinoglu said the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh will be tabled during Burns’ visit as well. He said given the fruitless outcomes of several Russian-brokered meetings on Karabakh settlement, there are greater expectations for the visit.

"It is pivotal for the U.S. to be more active," the analyst said. "After the election of Barack Obama, no interest was taken in resolving the Karabakh conflict. I think this policy should change. Perhaps, America will step up effort in the Karabakh conflict settlement. It is even possible that a future meeting of the [Azerbaijani and Armenian] presidents will be arranged in the U.S."

Burns, who has 30-year experience in foreign policy, is considered a leading US diplomat dealing with conflict resolution and peacemaking and has received numerous awards for these efforts. He served as the US ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008.