Washington presumably hopes that the gas would be shipped via the long-planned 1,641-kilometer-long Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. The route would funnel Central Asian energy to Azerbaijan, circumventing Russia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. From there, Turkmen energy would make its way to Europe along another long-planned route, dubbed Nabucco. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
At a November 17 news conference in Ashgabat, Daniel Stein, senior assistant to the US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, stated that it might be possible to reach an agreement on shipping natural gas across the Caspian Sea without first reaching an agreement on the sea’s territorial boundaries. Talks on a comprehensive Caspian pact have long been stalemated. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
After leaving Ashgabat, Stein traveled to Baku to meet with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on November 18. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baku has refused to confirm or to deny that Stein’s proposal is under consideration by Azerbaijani leaders. "If such an appeal is addressed to Azerbaijan, Baku will consider it, but I have to stress that it requires the consent of the second side [Turkmenistan], as well," spokesperson Elkhan Poluhov said.
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