Azernews.Az

The Russian assault on Georgia in August should serve as "a wake-up call" to strengthen the southern energy and transport corridor from the Caspian region to Europe, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza says.
Addressing the congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) last week, he said Russia`s past willingness to use energy as a means of coercion had already cast doubt upon its reliability as a supplier.
"The new willingness to use force to change borders on its periphery makes Russia an even more dangerous and unpredictable partner. Russia might have hoped that its war on Georgia would frighten away investors and disrupt pipelines," he told the Commission hearing, entitled "Russia, Georgia, and the Return of Power Politics."
"The good news is, the corridor through which large volumes of Azerbaijani and other Caspian gas will run to Turkey and the rest of Europe were unscathed by Russia`s military operations. Working closely with our allies, we can ensure this corridor expands and continues to attract the investment required to help Europe diversify its supply of one of its most important commodities, natural gas," Bryza said.
Bryza noted that Russia`s attack on Georgia resulted in the partial disruption of the Southern Energy Corridor, which was disconcerting for some investors and suppliers interested in bolstering this supply route and circumventing Russia`s attempts to assert monopolistic control over the supply of oil and gas to Europe. The bombing of a strategic bridge near Kaspi on Georgia`s only east-west railroad also disrupted the flow of oil on the rail line from Azerbaijan to the Black Sea, while the Baku-Supsa western route pipeline also shut down as a result of Russian military operations.
"The good news is the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and South Caucasus Gas Pipeline continued functioning, thanks to the foresight of engineers and government officials who designed safety features and more secure routings into those projects."
Bryza said the latest developments in Georgia had prompted the U.S. to outline certain goals in its foreign policy. In the face of the Russian assault on Georgia, the United States is pursuing four key objectives: supporting Georgia, blunting Russia`s strategic objectives of dismembering Georgia and undermining the Southern Energy Corridor, and bolstering US friends and partners in the broader region.
"First, we must support Georgia. We seek to address humanitarian concerns; sustain confidence in Georgia`s economy and restore economic growth; preserve the Georgian people`s democratic right to elect and maintain their leaders, and assist them in strengthening the country`s internal political checks and balances," Bryza said.
The U.S. has provided over $38 million worth of humanitarian aid and emergency relief, including food, shelter, and medical supplies, to assist the people of Georgia.
Bryza further said, among Washington`s objectives was to prevent Russia from "drawing a line" through Europe and declaring that nations on the wrong side of that line belong to Moscow`s "sphere of influence" and, therefore, cannot join the great institutions of Europe and the transatlantic family. President Medvedev`s recent statement of Russia`s foreign policy principles implies such a claim, he said.
Furthermore, the U.S. needs to explore ways to shore up other countries on Russia`s periphery, and take advantage of some possible opportunities offered by the fallout from Russia`s invasion of Georgia. Above all, Washington needs to remove other opportunities for Russia "to fish in troubled waters," Bryza said.
"The best way to do so is to redouble our efforts to ease tensions and resolve conflicts throughout the region."
Speakers at the hearing included Georgian Parliament Speaker, David Bakradze, Executive Director of the Nixon Center, Paul Saunders, as well as director for research and publications of the Azerbaijan Academy of Diplomacy, American analyst Paul Goble.