The Trans-Caspian Trade and Transit Corridor is a regional integrator, trade facilitator and viable transit connector between Europe and Asia. Comprising of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to the west, and Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan Uzbekistan and Afghanistan to the east of the Caspian Sea, this corridor brings together more than 200 million strong market and 400 billion in overall trade while connecting economies of the European Union and China along with access to Russia, Iran, Pakistan and India. Connecting trade, people and economies, the modern trans-Caspian corridor has matured to strategic importance with extensive and integrated network of infrastructure, special economic zones, harmonized customs, cross-border procedures and more along this route.
08:30 – 09:00 am – Registration and breakfast
09:00 – 09:10 am – Opening Remarks
- Efgan Nifti, Executive Director, Caspian Policy Cente
- Gary Litman, Vice President for Global Initiatives, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
09:10 – 09:35 am – Ambassadorial Remarks
- H.E. Roya Rahmani, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States
- H.E. Elin Suleymanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States
- H.E. David Bakradze, Ambassador of Georgia to the United States
- H.E. Erzhan Kazykhanov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States
- H.E. Serdar Kılıç, Ambassador of Turkey to the United States
- H.E. Meret Orazov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to the United States
- H.E. Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United States
09:35 – 09:55 am – Keynote Statement – High-Level Official from the U.S. Government
- Manisha Singh, Acting Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment, U.S. Department of States (invited)
09:55 – 11:15 am – Ministerial Roundtable – U.S.-Caspian Emerging Partnership
- Moderator: Ambassador (ret.) Richard Hoagland, Board of Directors Member, Caspian Policy Center
- Keynote Statement: George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Keynote Statement: Lisa Curtis, Senior Director for Central and South Asia, National Security Council, U.S. Department of State (invited)
- Dr. Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, Minister of Finance, Afghanistan
- Elmir Valizade, Deputy Minister of Transportation and High Technologies, Azerbaijan
- Genady Arveladze, Deputy Minister of Economy, Georgia
- Serik Bashimov, Head of the Department of Transit and Transport Logistic Development, Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development, Kazakhstan
- Turkey, Ministerial level representative
- Uzbekistan, Ministerial level representative
11:15 – 11:30 am – Coffee Break
11:30 – 01:00 pm – Panel – Linking Trans-Caspian via Infrastructure Development
- Moderator: Efgan Nifti, Executive Director, Caspian Policy Center
- Hasan Soroosh, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan
- Rauf Valiyev, Chairman, Caspian Shipping, Azerbaijan
- Maftun Abbasov, Deputy General Director, Baku International Trade and Sea Port
- Abai Turikpengbaev, President of National Company, Aktau International Sea Trade Port
- Marlena Hurley, Managing Director, Political Risk Insurance and Reinsurance, OPIC
- Additional senior government/company representatives from Georgia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
01:00 – 01:45 pm – Lunch
02:00 – 03:20 pm – Panel – Trans-Caspian as a Global Hub for Energy Supply, Security, and Sustainability
- Moderator: Gary Litman, Vice President for Global Initiatives, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Keynote Statement: Sandra Oudkirk, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
- Wells P. Griffith, Senior Director for Energy and Environment at the National Security Council, White House (invited)
- Robert Scher, Head of International Affairs, BP America
- Kamila Siddiqi, Deputy Minister for Trade Affairs, Afghanistan
- Elshad Nassirov, Vice President for Investments and Marketing, SOCAR
- Senior Representative, Chevron
- Senior Representative, ExxonMobil
- Senior government/company representatives from Turkey and Uzbekistan.
03:20 – 03:35 pm – Coffee Break
03:35 – 04:50 pm – Panel – Intra-Regional Cross Border Commerce, Trade, and Investment
- Moderator: Ambassador (ret.) Robert Cekuta, Board of Directors Member, Caspian Policy Center
- Keynote Statement: Ian Steff, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service (invited)
- Alexander Sokolowski, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, USAID
- Atiqullah Nusrat, Chief Executive Officer, Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries
- Yyury Lavrinenko, Deputy Head of Union of Kazakhstan Transport Workers, Kazlogistics
- Dr. Vusal Gasimli, Executive Director, Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication, Azerbaijan
- Additional senior government/company representatives from Georgia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
04:50 – 05:10 pm – Closing Remarks
Testimonials
Since their founding as independent states over 25 years ago, the United States has played a significant role to protect and preserve the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the eight countries of the Caspian Sea region. It also played a key role in first-generation policies and projects to develop connectivity throughout the Caspian region, especially by championing the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor; but much more is now possible. The time is ripe once again for the United States to play a stronger role to enhance connectivity and cooperation in the region. I am pleased that the Trans-Caspian Forum is bringing together government officials, thinkers, and business leaders to identify new opportunities and define concrete recommendations for next steps the United States can take to enhance its own role and to strengthen the countries in the region.
The Trans-Caspian Forum serves as a prime platform that will emphasize the central role of Azerbaijan in facilitating trade, transit and connectivity in the region and the country’s potential to offer a business-friendly environment for overseas investments and trade.
The economic future of Eurasia depends to a great degree on the capacity of policy makers in the region to envisage a shared future. This can only be done successfully in a dialogue with business, which is why the Chamber is delighted to bring stake-holders together, and jointly push for dynamic growth in the diverse region defined and united by the Caspian and Black Seas.
After a quarter of a century of independence, the states of the South Caucasus and Central Asia increasingly are eager to develop corridors, connectivity, and cooperation among themselves to link their infrastructures, their economies, and their peoples that will further enhance their own independence. With other major players on the global stage like Russia and China showing a keen interest, the strategic opportunities for the United States have grown significantly in recent years, presenting both challenges and new opportunities. With this Trans-Caspian Forum, we are pleased to present a venue to bring together business leaders, foreign-policy experts, and government officials from the United States and the countries of the region to explore new directions and identify new opportunities.
The Trans-Caspian Forum has become an important platform to discuss the opportunities and challenges in the broader region extending from Europe to Asia with Turkey at its center. I strongly believe that the 3rd Trans-Caspian Forum will help us enhance the connectivity and cooperation among the peoples and countries of the region and the U.S.
I am happy to announce the Third Tran-Caspian Annual Forum. Georgia is bringing the region closer to the U.S. to discuss the ties in trade, commerce, energy, security, and innovations.
Trans-Caspian Forum 2018
