Kazakhstan and the South Caucasus corridor in the wake of the Georgia-Russia war

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline links Azerbaijan and Georgia to European energy markets but has also opened up a transit corridor for resource-rich Central Asian states. Kazakhstan has increasingly used this westbound route for its oil exports but was startled during the August cionflict between Russia and Georgia. This EUCAM Policy Brief assesses the impact of the war on Kazakhstan’s plans of ’going west’. Although the impact of the war has been severe Astana does not seem inclined to give up the South Caucasus route, which is highly important for commercial and geopolitical reasons.