The Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) project from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan is a geopolitical and strategic pipeline for Europe. It will bring large quantities of natural gas from Central Asia to southern Europe and, via the White Stream pipeline under the Black Sea, also to Central and Eastern Europe. The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) oil export pipeline 20 years ago established and reinforced the independence of the participating countries, Azerbaijan and Georgia. It also happened to be commercially very advantageous. Like it, the TCGP is a unique opportunity to ensure Europe’s economic benefit and political influence in the region. Also like the BTC, it is a
demonstration project that will open the broader region to greater international investment. Gas from Turkmenistan costs much less than gas from Siberia. Implementation of Turkmen gas exports to the EU in sizeable quantities will serve the geopolitical purpose of cementing Central Asia’s relations with Europe, promoting integration and stability.
Robert M. Cutler earned his doctorate at The University of Michigan after receiving two Bachelor's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After over a dozen years in leading universities in Canada, France, Russia, Switzerland and the United States, he expanded into policy analysis and consulting as an Energy Security and Geo-economics Specialist. He has over 25 years' experience in international energy diplomacy: advising energy firms, governments, international institutions and NGOs; framing policy and research issues and leading teams to address them, and producing briefings and analytical bulletins.
He has published scores of refereed academic articles, policy articles and book chapters. He Practitioner Member at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) and Senior Fellow at Strategy International. He is a past fellow of the Canadian International Council and Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and was for many years a senior researcher at Carleton University's Institute for European, Russian and European Studies. He is fluent in English, French and Russian. He can be reached at rmc@alum.mit.edu and posts to X from @RobertMCutler.
Robert M. Cutler earned his doctorate at The University of Michigan after receiving two Bachelor's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After over a dozen years in leading universities in Canada, France, Russia, Switzerland and the United States, he expanded into policy analysis and consulting as an Energy Security and Geo-economics Specialist. He has over 25 years' experience in international energy diplomacy: advising energy firms, governments, international institutions and NGOs; framing policy and research issues and leading teams to address them, and producing briefings and analytical bulletins.
He has published scores of refereed academic articles, policy articles and book chapters. He Practitioner Member at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) and Senior Fellow at Strategy International. He is a past fellow of the Canadian International Council and Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and was for many years a senior researcher at Carleton University's Institute for European, Russian and European Studies. He is fluent in English, French and Russian. He can be reached at rmc@alum.mit.edu and posts to X from @RobertMCutler.
European energy security, especially the diversification of sources of supply of natural gas, increasingly depends on the South Caucasus countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan. Russia is building the NordStream Two and TurkStream pipelines in order to secure European Union (EU) dependence on Russian gas for decades to come. Because of its unique geographical situation, Georgia Read More…
Dr. Robert Cutler writes on the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council, which he describes as an important milestone in EU-Azerbaijani energy relations.
European energy security policy reached a milestone in early June when the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP, after its Turkish initials) was opened. As the name indicates, the pipeline runs east-west across Turkey (1,850 kilometres) from the Georgian to the Greek border. It will carry, in the first instance, natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Read More…
