BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. The
Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund will serve as a catalyst for
additional private-sector investment, said Mark Cameron, Deputy
Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of
South and Central Asian Affairs.
He made the remarks during the seventh annual Caspian Business
Forum held by the Caspian Policy Center (CPC) in New York.
Cameron highlighted growing U.S. engagement with Central Asia
and the South Caucasus and the opportunities created by the
continued development of the Trans-Caspian trade route.
“I’ve spent much of my career fostering U.S. relations with the
countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, so I appreciate
the tremendous importance of the Trans-Caspian trade route and the
new opportunities for its development,” Cameron said. “U.S.
attention to the region has never been higher, and it’s not hard to
see why. The common theme is the optimism about what is
possible.”
Cameron pointed to the C5+1 platform and growing U.S. commercial
engagement as important elements of this relationship. He also
highlighted the newly operational Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund as
a mechanism for mobilizing greater private investment in the
region. “The Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund is a private nonprofit
entity that will strategically employ U.S. government grant
resources, but this is designed to prove the commercial viability
of high-potential projects and serve as a catalyst for additional
private-sector investment,” Cameron said.
Cameron also welcomed the completion of the Trans-Caspian
fiber-optic cable connecting Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan,
highlighting the opportunities it creates for greater digital
connectivity and technology investment. More broadly, he noted the
growing two-way commercial relationship between the United States
and Central Asia. “We are pleased to see the countries of Central
Asia attract U.S. investors at an increased tempo, and we are
pleased to see some Central Asian countries now investing in the
United States,” Cameron said.
