Where we are in the world
After my previous post about the liquified natural gas (LNG) pipelines in Papua New Guinea, we turn towards the Caucasus region for another strategically-important oil pipeline. Traversing the countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline carries oil from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and beyond.
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
Though it would be the most-direct route, the pipeline does not cross Armenia
Diplomatic relations played a heavy role in the routing of the BTC Pipeline, which traverses more than 1,000 miles from Sangachal Terminal in Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea to the Ceyhan Marine Terminal on the Mediterranean Sea.
The most direct route for this pipeline would have been through the country of Armenia instead of Georgia; however, ongoing diplomatic rows between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory prevented this route from coming to fruition. Furthermore, Turkey-Armenia relations are also tense stemming originally from the Turkish involvement in the Armenian Genocide. Because of these relationships, the BTC pipeline comes close to the Armenian border (within 5 miles the very north of the country) but never passes through the country’s territory.
Russian officials tried to convince Azerbaijan to not sign on to the BTC pipeline originally
In the planning stages of the BTC pipeline, Russia attempted to convince Azerbaijan to ditch the plan and instead partner with Russia. With this plan, Azerbaijan would transport oil through a pipeline to Novorossyik, a Russian port on the Black Sea, where it would then travel to international markets through the Bosporus. Russia was pushing this to maintain as much control over Black Sea oil production as possible; however, Azerbaijan decided to partner with Georgia and Turkey instead.
Georgia was very open to the pipeline in an effort to support its sovereignty and recognition in the face of Russian aggression
Georgia, similar to Russia, saw the pipeline as a potential strategic advantage. The small Caucasus country has ongoing issues with Russia encroaching onto & occupying ts territory (in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions). Because of this, Georgia saw the BTC pipeline project as one way to continue to support its own sovereignty and independence with a major infrastructure project, while simultaneously winning a major pipeline route over its adversary.
Additional links and sources
- Information on the pipeline from BP, the official operator (link, accessed in 2022)
- Background information/FAQs on the BTC pipeline (link, published in 2005):
- Georgia’s pro-BTC pipeline stance (link, published in 2003)
Have you heard of the BTC pipeline before?
See other places around the world Globe Charting has featured!
