Publication

This report looks at Russia’s evolving attitude towards energy development in the Caspian Sea and the EU-backed Southern Gas Corridor. More specifically, the text 1) describes how post-Soviet Russia’s disjointed policy towards the segmenting of the Caspian Sea permitted other littoral states to create independent oil and gas projects; 2) examines Moscow’s subsequent efforts to block, co-opt, or compete with the Southern Gas Corridor; 3) explains how Azerbaijan and its partner countries and companies were able to set a clear path to the creation of the corridor, with the help of the EU, the US and other actors; and 4) discusses the lessons the West should learn from its attempts to cajole Moscow into adopting more competitive and less monopolistic practices in the energy sector.