Dr. Robert Cutler Speaks about Energy Security
Dr. Robert Cutler, energy security specialist and research fellow at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies of Carleton University, visited Tbilisi In October to conduct a series of lectures on energy security in the Black Sea - Caspian Basin corridor.
On a regional tour that included Baku and Yerevan, the academic spoke of conceptual frameworks and also fielded questions regarding material issues relevant to energy in the South Caucasus.
His lecture, "The Structuration of the Central Eurasian Hydrocarbon Energy Complex," presented to students at the Center for European Studies at Tbilisi State University and at the Georgian Institute of Public Administration, introduced his concept of concentric spheres of geopolitical influences, and the developmental interconnections between them.
Questions generated from Dr. Cutler's diverse audiences ranged from specific pipeline agreements, concerns about regional instability, and the impact of possible NATO membership on energy security.
Speaking about the planned new energy projects, Cutler said that today Europe seriously treats with the Nabucco gas pipeline project that aims to export gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU.
Azerbaijan has a key role to play in the Nabucco project through development of the Shah Deniz Two deposit and as a transit country for larger quantities of gas to Europe from Turkmenistan.
Azerbaijan in terms of energy is of great importance for Europe, believes Robert Cutler, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for the European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Carleton University of Canada.
"Regarding the current relations between Russia and Ukraine, Europe today is interested in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sphere," Cutler said in Baku, speaking during a roundtable at the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan.
In near future the energy flows from the Caspian Sea region will bypass Armenia, Robert Cutler, an expert for South Caucasus and Central Asia, Professor at University of Michigan, told reporters at the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan on Oct. 6.
"The project of construction of Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline via Armenia was considered in the 1990s, however, for well-known political reasons the project was suspended and replaced by a route via Georgia," the expert said.
Cutlers believes that the situation in the region has not changed since then, and in the near future Armenia will have to ensure its own energy security at the expense of other sources.
Energy plays an important role in the national security of any given country as a fuel to power the economic engine.
Hence, threats to energy security can also result from physical damage to the energy infrastructure either of the supplier, or of the importer as a result of natural events, misfortune, terrorism, or warfare. The political and economic instability caused by war or other factors such as strike action can also prevent the proper functioning of the energy industry in a supplier country.
NATO leaders recognize that the disruption of the flow of vital resources could affect Alliance security interests. They have declared their support for a coordinated, international effort to assess risks to energy infrastructure and to promote energy infrastructure security.
At the Bucharest Summit in April 2008, the Allies noted a report on “NATO’s Role in Energy Security,” which identifies guiding principles and outlines options and recommendations for further activities. They will review progress at their next summit in 2009.
The report identifies five key areas where NATO can provide added value:
information and intelligence fusion and sharing;
projecting stability;
advancing international and regional cooperation;
supporting consequence management;
and supporting the protection of critical infrastructure.
On October 22 2009 the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Bratislava Security Conference in his speech ''New Challenges - Better Capabilities'' said: "Energy security is another emerging challenge. Indeed, many countries –including your own – have already felt the effects of disruption in energy supply, and in the next few years, the competition for energy will only get more intense. This means that we need to think about how to protect our supply lines, our transit routes, and our critical infrastructure."
Due to overlapping security concerns, cooperative activities with Partner countries often impact on energy security issues. Activities under the Partnership for Peace and the Science for Peace and Security Programme are the main cooperative frameworks, although bilateral arrangements also exist. Areas such as defence reform, critical infrastructure protection, counter-terrorism cooperation and environmental protection may all impact on resource security.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Ambassador George A. Krol at the International Conference on Energy Security on April 24 2009 in Turkmenistan pointed out that: "Energy security policy is not a competition between producers and consumers. All of us -- producers, transit countries, and consumers of energy -- benefit from a system that provides transparency and security".
References:
1. US Department of State http://www.state.gov
2. North Atlantic Treaty Organization http://www.nato.int
3. TodayAZ http://www.today.az
4. PIMS Members Site http://members.pims.org (requires registration and login)
5. Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org
6. Emerging Threats to Energy Security and Stability http://www.springerlink.com/content/l54410510261/?sortorder=asc
7. Dr. Robert Cutler http://www.robertcutler.org