Turkey and Azerbaijan have signed a historic agreement for the shipment of gas from the huge Shah Deniz 2 field in the Caspian Sea to Turkey, the Balkans and central Europe.

On October 13, the Atlantic Council held an off-the-record discussion with Harry Sachinis, Chairman and CEO of DEPA S.A., Greece’s Public Gas Corporation, on the Southern Corridor being developed to bring Caspian gas to markets in Europe and potentially elsewhere. Senior experts from the energy industry and various governments attended the session.

Earlier this month, two events occurred which are likely to significantly boost Europe’s hopes for diversifying its gas supply and help realize Caspian gas exporting countries’ aspirations for reaching global gas markets. 

After a along period of political neglect the EU is finally responding to its critics by sending the President of the EU Commission, Mr. Barroso on a Caspian tour. The choice of countries is especially important – Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Clearly, energy is at the forefront of Mr. Barroso’s agenda.

From Interfax:  The Russian Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla will be reorganized into the Naval Forces Operational Command within the Southern Military District, a source from the Russian Navy Main Staff told Interfax on Thursday.

The international diplomacy aimed at thwarting Iran’s nuclear program has produced no concrete results. Iran’s leaders, in particular President Ahmadinejad, are set on going nuclear, and doing it soon.

The latest act in the opera that is Eurasian pipeline geopolitics was a so-called informal Caspian summit outside the Kazakh port city of Aktau.

Europe’s broken Caucasus-Caspian policy is partly in trouble due to Germany’s Russia policy, which was put in place by the former German Chancellor, Mr. Schroeder, and faithfully executed by his SPD successor, Mr. Steinmeier who shared power with Ms. Merkel in the last German government.