Caucasus the centre for trade and energy

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has stated that in order to make the Caucasus the centre for energy and trade it is absolutely necessary to develop regional cooperation. Cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia which has resulted in joint energy and transportation links such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway maintains stability and cooperation in the region, stated Davutoglu.

All the projects listed above bypass Armenia and the railway project ignores the existing Kars-Gumri railway line which Armenia is ready to reopen as soon as the Armenian-Turkish border is open. However negotiations on this issue have recently been frozen.