Energy and Economy 

Dredging Begins at Georgia's Anaklia Deep-Sea Port 

Dredging works officially started at Anaklia Deep Sea Port on 2 August, as the vessel Tristao Da Cunha arrived to begin excavating the access channel for the port's breakwater. After years of delays and a stalled Chinese-consortium investment deal, Georgia's government is now developing Anaklia under a "landlord" model, in which the Georgian state retains ownership of core maritime infrastructure and land while leasing out specific terminals and commercial operations to international partners. The dredging works are being carried out by Belgian firm Jan De Nul N.V. in collaboration with Georgian partners. The European Union (EU) has designated the Anaklia port as a strategic priority within the expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network. The port is expected to become the largest transport hub in the Black Sea region once completed. 

Source: Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia , netgazeti.ge 

Kazakhstan Will Ship Oil Through Georgia after Drone Attacks on the CPC Pipeline  

Tengizchevroil (TCO), operator of Kazakhstan's largest oil field, announced that it plans to ship 100,000 metric tons of oil through Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi in August after drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) Novorossisyk terminal. TCO exported around 20,000 tons through Batumi in July after a three-month hiatus, with oil moving by rail before being loaded onto tankers bound for Türkiye. More than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports normally flow through the 1,500-kilometre CPC route, mostly crude from the Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak fields. 

Source: The Moscow Times  

Kazakhstan Launches First Multimodal Fertiliser Shipment to UK via Middle Corridor 

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) organised the first multimodal shipment of mineral fertilisers from Ekibastuz to the United Kingdom (UK) via the Middle Corridor. The shipment is being transported by rail and sea freight. The route runs across Kazakhstan, crosses the Caspian Sea, continues through Azerbaijan and Georgia before going from the Georgian ports of Poti or Batumi to Felixstowe in the UK. The new route is expected to help Kazakh fertiliser producers grow UK exports while diversifying logistics away from routes through Russia. 

Source: Interfax, AzerNEWS 

Romania Revives Turkmen Gas-to-Europe Proposal 

Romania has proposed reviving the long-dormant Azerbaijan - Georgia - Romania Interconnector (AGRI) project to carry Caspian gas to Europe via the Black Sea port of Constanța, with Turkmenistan identified as a potential supplier. The proposal, raised in a 29 July meeting between Turkmenistan's ambassador to Romania and the Romanian Chamber of Commerce, would see gas converted to LNG in Georgia and shipped to Constanța for distribution via Romania's BRUA pipeline.  

Source: Ministry of Motor Transport of Turkmenistan, The Times of Central Asia 

Trans-Caspian Fibre-Optic Cable Installation Completed 

AzerTelecom and Kazakhtelecom completed the installation of a 380-kilometre submarine fibre-optic cable across the bottom of the Caspian sea, marking a major step in the development of a new digital corridor connecting Europe and Asia.  The cable, which runs from Sumgayit, Azerbaijan to Aktau, Kazakhstan, is part of Azerbaijan's Digital Silk Way initiative and will eventually run through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria, providing over 400 Tbps of connectivity between Europe and Asia. 

Source: Azertac 

Kazakhstan Launches Aral-Caspian Highway to Strengthen Europe-Asia Trade Corridors 

Kazakhstan announced the start of construction of the Aral-Caspian Highway, a new 800-kilometre highway running from Beineu to Saksaulsk. The highway, which will connect border crossings with China directly to the Caspian ports of Aktau and Kuryk, is scheduled for completion by 2029. The Kazakh government says the project could cut nearly 1,000 kilometres and up to three days from journeys between Europe and China. Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev said the project forms part of a broader strategy to transform Kazakhstan into one of Eurasia's leading logistics hubs by expanding road, rail and port infrastructure and increasing the country's role in the Middle Corridor. 

Sources: The Astana Times, The Times of Central Asia 

Germany to Send Business Delegation to Azerbaijan for Green Technology Cooperation 

Germany will send a business delegation to Baku in December to explore investment and partnership opportunities in green technologies, renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure, organised under the German Energy Export Initiative on behalf of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The visit follows the recent elevation of German-Azerbaijani relations to a Strategic Partnership during Aliyev's July state visit to Berlin, where the two countries also signed a declaration establishing an Azerbaijani-German Business Council. The programme will include B2B meetings, presentations of German technology solutions and site visits to gain first-hand insight into Azerbaijan's infrastructure and renewable energy landscape. 

Source: German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan),  

Politics and Security 

Azerbaijan and Ukraine Foreign Ministers Hold Talks in Kyiv 

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, paid his first official visit to Kyiv on 6 August, meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior security officials. Bayramov said Azerbaijan was ready to supply gas to Ukraine if needed and to expand cooperation on energy security, including possible use of Ukraine's underground gas storage. Sybiha said Kyiv has prepared "a package of proposals" for Baku and is interested in diversifying its energy supplies, describing Azerbaijan's role as strategic not just for Ukraine but for European energy security broadly.  

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Ukrainska Pravda 

Italy Reportedly Considers Armenia and Uzbekistan for EU Migrant Processing Centre 

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera reported on 4 August that Rome is considering Armenia, alongside Uzbekistan, Montenegro and several African states, as a potential site for EU-funded migrant processing centres modelled on Italy's "Albania model," as Italian PM Giorgia Meloni seeks EU-wide support for a stricter migration approach tying trade preferences to cooperation on returns. Armenia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Yerevan has received no such proposal and that the matter has not been discussed with Armenian authorities. 

Source: Euronews, Corriere della Sera, Armenpress