Azerbaijan and Caspian Sea draw Western focus amid Middle East crisis Article by The Washington Times

In recent weeks, Iran’s threats to and disruptions of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and a quarter of all seaborne trade pass, have roiled markets, driven up oil prices and sent regional states scrambling.

According to Caliber.Az, this is stated in an article by Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), published in The Washington Times.

As the author writes, this will require deeper investment in alternative energy producers and transport corridors. The conversation starts with the Caspian Sea.

Although its share of global energy is relatively modest (roughly 2% to 3% of world oil and 8% to 9% of natural gas), the body of water is home to dynamic producers such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which together produce more than 2 million barrels of oil daily.

With the proper inducements, they could direct more of that flow to the West.

"The region is also home to a key connectivity project. The Middle Corridor is a transport network linking East Asia to Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.

With rail, road and maritime segments, it is a strategic alternative to northern routes (via Russia) and southern routes vulnerable to choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz for delivering Caspian oil and gas and other commodities," he says.

All that makes its further expansion a logical priority. So does the recent deterioration of Iran’s tense relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan, which became a target of Iranian drones and missiles during the conflict.

These tensions lay the groundwork for Baku to further deepen its pro-Western tilt. 

"Washington can encourage this by repealing Section 907 of the 1992 Freedom Support Act, an outdated sanctions measure that, though routinely waived by successive administrations, remains an irritant in ties between Washington and Baku.

Repeal is logical because the Trump administration is seeking to nurture deeper relations with Azerbaijan through new strategic partnership agreements and projects such as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," Berman wrote.

By Aghakazim Guliyev