Connectivity

The recent blockage of the Suez Canal by the 400-metre-long 'Ever Given' container ship exposed the vulnerability of global trade routes. It reopened the debate about alternative routes, including the opening of the Northern Sea Route via northern Russia, and the Northwest Passage via northern Canada. These routes, however, are not without their problems. Maximiliaan van Lange analyses the background and current thinking in this article for commonspace.eu.

The World Banks approved this week a US$440 million loan to support Egypt's initiative for railway safety and service. The Railway Improvement and Safety for Egypt (RISE) will utilise the fund along with other financial support from the Egyptian National Railways (ENR).

Armenia's asymmetric dependence on Russia has cost it dearly, especially during the recent Karabakh war, argues Alexander Petrosyan in this commentary for commonspace.eu. Two projects – the Iran-Armenia railway, and the Iran-Armenia-Georgia gas pipeline – can help restore the balance, he contends.

Bahrain expects a quick return to pre-pandemic levels in tourist arrivals when the Gulf island nation reopens the King Fahd Causeway which links it to Saudi Arabia. The causeway was scheduled to open on 31 March, but that has now been delayed to 17 May. The causeway has been closed since 8 March of last year. 

Trade of goods between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is resuming today at various border crossings, according to the Qatari General Authority of Customs. In addition, Qatar Airways Cargo will recommence operating services to and from Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia from 21 February. 

After years of negotiations, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have reached a preliminary agreement on the joint exploration of a disputed section of an undersea hydrocarbons field in the Caspian Sea believed to hold extensive energy reserves. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, attended online the signing by their foreign ministers of a memorandum on the mutual intention to jointly explore and develop the Dostlug (Friendship) undersea field.

Disillusioned by the attitude of both Russia and the West during the recent Karabakh War, Armenia should look to making China a key partner for economic, political, and defence cooperation, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are expected to meet in Moscow next week together with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the recent war they fought with each other, and their 10 November agreement which brought it to an end.