Areas of Focus
ENERGY & REGIONAL SECURITY
Since Marco Polo saw the world’s first mining of oil in Baku in 1264, the history of Azerbaijan has been intimately linked with that of global energy production. In 1846 the first modern oil well was drilled a short distance from Baku, in 1877 the Nobel brothers built the world’s first oil-carrying steamship near Gara Shahar, and by 1899 and 1901 Azerbaijan was the world’s leading oil-extracting nation.
Today, Azerbaijan pumps over 1 million barrels of oil every day and ranks 30th in the world among natural gas producers, making it critical to the world’s energy market. In the current geopolitical climate, Azerbaijan represents Europe’s best hope of energy independence from Russia – enabling it to significantly diversify its supply without compromising on its ideals. Furthermore, in developing relations with Azerbaijan, both the US and Europe can ensure that Azerbaijan does not become reliant on neighboring countries such as Iran.
Perhaps the greatest example of Azerbaijan’s effort to build relations with America lies in its commitment to the War on Terror, where it has regularly gone above and beyond the sacrifice of many of the US’s closest allies. Despite being excluded from US aid programs because of Section 907, Azerbaijan has deployed troops and expended considerable resources to ensure that we win in the fight against tyranny.
Role of the Alliance
As the core component of its economy and one of its strongest links to the United States and Europe, Azerbaijan’s energy sector plays an integral role to its international relations. The Alliance has begun to develop relationships with industry leaders in each area to ensure that Azerbaijan’s relations with each continue to flourish.
Additionally, the Alliance hopes to emphasize the critical role that Azerbaijan plays as a stable, pro-Western democracy in a hostile region. Furthermore, its material and rhetorical backing for the War on Terror is deserving of greater recognition and support from its allies in NATO – not least the United States.