From Reuters via Turkey's Daily Sabah:
Azerbaijan's ties with Russia, which are already strained by the conflict in Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, will face further pressure with the launch of a gas pipeline that is poised to replace Moscow's ever diminishing gas sales to Europe and Turkey later this year.
The $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) will draw from Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II field in the Caspian Sea and has the backing of the European Commission as it seeks to curb Europe's dependence on Russian energy.
It also has the support of Turkey, which stands with Baku in its right to defend its land in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The fighting has spread to Azerbaijani cities close to the SGC, but BP in Azerbaijan, part of a consortium of companies involved in the project, told Reuters it was going ahead as planned.
"As of now, all our business operations in the region continue as normal, and our plans remain unchanged," a BP spokesperson said.
At the same time, Russian ambitions to expand its pipeline capacity to Europe risk being thwarted by U.S. sanctions.
Analysts say Moscow has good relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan and a pragmatic relationship with Turkey that has overcome past crises and differing stances on Syria....
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The last time I looked Azerbaijan was Turkey's largest gas supplier and will probably remain same until Turkey develops their new Black Sea find.
