Kazakh expert: Lack of pipelines across Caspian seabed creates risks for Central Asia

The lack of pipelines across the Caspian seabed remains a key problem for Central Asian countries amid global instability.

According to Report, Sultan Akimbekov, Director of the Institute of Asian Studies of Kazakhstan, stated this while speaking on a panel at the international conference "C6: One Region, Shared Future – Enhancing Strategic Dialogue" in Baku.

According to him, this problem is largely linked to Russia's position, which opposed the construction of pipelines across the Caspian Sea.

"We don't have such an oil pipeline, which is why we've had problems with the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Turkmenistan also doesn't have a gas pipeline, although such discussions have been very active," he noted.

The expert emphasized that the C6 format could become one possible direction for the development of transport corridors.

"Following the recent attacks on the CPC terminals, Kazakhstan faces a very serious crisis, which we cannot currently address through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, as we lack the necessary transport capacity across the Caspian to resolve this issue," Akimbekov stated.

He added that the main security challenges for the C6 countries stem from the complex geopolitical situation surrounding the Caspian Sea.

"Many of today's problems stem from the unsettled status of the Caspian Sea and the complex geopolitics associated with the struggle for influence between Russia and the United States," the expert emphasized.