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Caspian Sea Swim by Travelers Carl Bushby and Angela Maxwell

British traveler Carl Bushby and American traveler Angela Maxwell, accompanied by accompanied by 15-time Azerbaijani swimming champions Anastasia Boborkina and Abdurrahman Rustamov, plan to become the first people ever to swim across the world's largest closed inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. The expedition covering approximately 300 kilometers, from Aktau, Kazakhstan, to Baku, Azerbaijan, will begin mid-August and take about a month to complete. Crossing the Caspian Sea is a significant part of the unique and ambitious 'Goliath' project instigated by Carl Bushby to circumnavigate the globe without using any form of transport. Having set off in 1998, the paratrooper-turned writer has now covered over two-thirds of the 58,000-kilometre journey. Angela Maxwell is an experienced American traveler, renowned for her extreme expeditions. In 2014, she sold all her belongings and set off on foot to explore the world. Since then, she has covered thousands of kilometers, often alone, through different countries, encountering diverse cultures and overcoming numerous challenges. Maxwell's participation in the Caspian Sea swim adds a new dimension to the Goliath expedition whilst emphasizing both adventurers' daring spirit and courage. The Caspian Sea swim is a physically challenging and strategically important part of journey, given the current climate which prohibits crossing Russia and Iran by foot. Bushby admits to having limited swimming experience and to preserve their energy and safely attain their goal, the pair plan to swim around 10 kilometers a day, escorted by a boat to assist in any emergencies.

Culture Azerbaijan UNESCO Heritage Cultural Heritage

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Nominate Traditional Craft of ‘Guram’ for UNESCO Cultural Heritage List

Turkmenistan's National Commission to UNESCO is actively working towards the international promotion of the country's cultural heritage and in collaboration with Azerbaijan, has nominated the patchwork art of 'guram' for inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Regarding the move, Chinar Rustemova, Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, stated, "We have also started talks with the Turkic History and Culture Foundation of the Republic of Turkey (TURKTAV) on cooperation in popularizing the cultural heritage of the Turkmen people in the Turkic world. The plans include expanding exhibition and library activities and organizing specific events within the framework of the regional project 'Our Heritage' proposed by the Turkmen side." It should be noted that this year, on the initiative of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Iran, preparations are underway to nominate "Traditions of making cradles and singing cradle songs" for inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

US Export/Import Economy Azerbaijan Trade Routes

U.S. Seeks Alternative Routes for Central Asia’s Exports

According to reports, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien stated to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that the United States wants to ensure that items exported from Central Asia go through routes that exclude Russia and China. One such route is through Azerbaijan. “This applies to the entire Central Asian region; all of these countries’ exports to world markets currently go through China and Russia. For a workaround, they need to cooperate with Azerbaijan,” commented O'Brien, regarding goals of his upcoming trip to Baku. “One route goes through Georgia to the Black Sea, but another, potentially larger, would go through Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey." In order to orchestrate such, the diplomat explained, "we need a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.” O’Brien added that the U.S. supports the conclusion of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Caspian Sea Telecommunication Azerbaijan Economy

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to Invest in Fiber Optic Cables in Caspian Sea

More than $50 million will be invested by Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani operators in laying fiber optic fiber along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan's minister of digital development Zhaslan Madiev has announced: "Today, a joint venture between Kazakhtelecom JSC (Kazakhstan's national telecommunications company) and Azertelecom LLC has been established, and a tender to select a contractor for designing and laying an underwater FOCL is being finalized." The laying of optics on the bottom of the Caspian Sea will total 370 kilometers. "Investments of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan telecom operators will total more than 23 billion tenges ($50.6 million)." Madiev also said that introducing 5G mobile communication in Kazakhstan should be completed by the end of 2025. According to him, by the end of 2027 cellular operators will invest almost $1 billion in the country's telecommunications industry. The Trans-Caspian fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) project along the Caspian Sea bed is part of the Digital Silk Road project, which envisages the creation of a digital telecommunications corridor between Europe and Asia. Earlier, it was reported that the deadline for the project's realization was 2025.

South Caucasus TITR Middle Corridor Armenia Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan Works with Armenia and Azerbaijan for South Caucasus Peace

By Robert M. Cutler On May 10–11, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hosted peace talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers. These constructive negotiations were strictly bilateral, with Kazakhstan absent from the room and only providing the venue for the meeting. The event illustrates the dedication by Tokayev and his foreign policy to regional stability and mediation. Kazakhstan has done this sort of thing in the past; it hosted Russia–Turkey–Iran talks over Syria until last year. It was also mentioned as a place for bilateral Russia–Ukraine negotiations, although that idea never materialized. Armenia's Future is in the South Caucasus and Asia Tokayev had offered to provide the venue during his first official visit to Armenia, which took place on April 15 this year. His trip to Armenia may in retrospect be seen as a turning point. Former President Nursultan Nazarbayev had been forced to cancel a visit in 2016, following protests in Yerevan against Astana's support of Baku in the Karabakh conflict. Armenia’s participation in the new peace efforts, now under way for a couple of years, marks a significant shift after decades of rejecting such cooperation. It offers the prospect of renewed regional relations. Under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia has lately been trying to shift its foreign policy, reaching out to Western countries such as France and the U.S. in order to decrease its long-standing dependence on (some would say, vassalage to) Russia. But Armenia is a state in the South Caucasus, not in Europe or America. For this reason, the state’s objective interests (as opposed to those of the far-flung diaspora) are geopolitically compatible with those of Azerbaijan and Turkey, and also of Kazakhstan more distantly. Astana’s ties with Baku and Ankara, and Azerbaijan’s strengthening of its own ties with Central Asia, reflect strategic manoeuvring in the region. These partnerships enhance Kazakhstan's and Turkey's roles in promoting stability and development in the South Caucasus. They consequently offer Armenia a new path to prosperity. Peace with Azerbaijan would lead to the lifting of the Turkish embargo on Armenia and open the possibility of Armenia's integration into the Trans-Caspian International Trade Route (TITR, "Middle Corridor"). Such an opening would further widen Armenia's diplomatic vistas and decrease its dependence on Russia. Turning to Europe and the U.S. can offer some advantages, but Armenia must be cautious of the influence of a bellicosely irredentist Armenian diaspora, whose interests are not first and foremost the well-being of Armenians living in Armenia. Prioritizing regional integration and cooperation with its South Caucasus neighbours and other TITR participants will enable Armenia proper to build a more stable and prosperous future. Infrastructure and Connectivity Initiatives With the assistance of the international financial institutions, the European Union and Central Asia are developing the TITR as a critical trade corridor that will also contribute significantly to the prosperity and stability of the countries lying along its route. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have long been key players in the promotion and realization of this plan. The Middle Corridor,...

Conflict Resolution Armenia Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan to Host Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks on May 10

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold talks in Almaty on May 10 as they seek to end their long-running conflict, Kazakhstan said on Monday. The negotiations will happen in line with “previously reached agreements,” said Aibek Smadiyarov, spokesman for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s top diplomat, and his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, will attend, according to the Kazakh official. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in tension and conflict over territory since the 1990s, though the two sides have been working to delineate their borders following Azerbaijan’s retaking of control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region last year. As reported by TCA last week, in a statement President Tokayev “welcome[d] the agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia to hold talks at the Foreign Ministers’ level on the preparation of a peace treaty between the two states, at the suggestion of the Kazakh side.” Tokayev went on to express his hope the upcoming meeting would help with the “practical implementation” of agreements between the two sides.