News - James O'Brien: US is considering possibility of trade route bypassing Russia, China via Armenia, Azerbaijan

The US is considering the possibility of creating a new land route from the countries of Central Asia to the world markets through the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan, bypassing Russia and China, said James O'Brien, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. Central Asian countries are incredibly rich, and now their only option to access global markets is through Russia or China, O'Brien said at a hearing on "The Future of Europe" in the Subcommittee on Regional and Security Cooperation of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “If we can ensure the opening of the route through Azerbaijan and Armenia, then they [i.e. the Central Asian countries] will have access to world markets and will become less dependent on Russia and China,” added the US official.