azerbaijan is an important ally of the united states. they have issues that they need to deal with on human rights. we were clear about that. we met with the n.g.o. community we were there. but i think your leadership and the way that you balanced that presentation was very, very important. there's also the energy issue that azerbaijan is very important to us in that region as an energy source for europe. so it's an important strategic country, and, yes, they do -- we do have issues on human rights. we did meet with the n.g.o.'s and we'll continue to voice those concerns. i'm glad you mentioned kishinev and moldova. georgia and moldova have two things in common: they're both moving towards europe with the association agreements. they recognize their economic and political future ^+s with europe, and they both have russian troops in their country. and that they are both very much concerned about what is happening in ukraine. as you know, we've got tremendous interests about what we did in baku on taking on the russians directly about thei

azerbaijan, kazakhstan and turkmenistan. and great many other themes. i would like to give you the opportunity to talk for a few minutes on your perspective and then we can still have time for a few questions i couldn't be with you through the entire discussion and i'm glad i was able to join us. all our good friends and colleagues here. i think one of the starting point that we have to look at this issue is from the radical change that has happened and the european gas market because as you look at the tensions between russia and ukraine to meet you can take that out of a wider context of what's happening in europe. we have taken extraordinary steps to put in place a much competitive gas market and put in orchid rules under its third energy package so that not one single company could be collected on the gas into the transit systemand transitsystemn systems. in germany and france would have to get permission to re- exports that gas. the eu has made it illegal in the european market. that is critical to the whole concept of the review's flows coming bac

call the three energy baby giants to the south of russia, azerbaijan, kazakhstan and turkmenistan. in the years ahead strategic environment in this region may undergo dramatic change. the first source of change is china. in 2011 its gdp was 4.7 times larger than russia's. the imf estimates that in 2018 only seven years later, china's gdp will be six times higher than russia's. leveraging this economic dynamism, china is investing in energy and in kazakhstan and turkmenistan. china has already broken russia's monopoly over energy export pipelines from central asia. oil and gas flow eastward over long distances to china. last year chinese leader ping visited central asia and signed tens of billions of dollars in commercial deals. china is challenging russia's security real. xiping, proposed a central mechanism for central asia focused regional organization. central asia and russia offer china sources of energy not vulnerable to interdiction by western navies. in this way the u.s. military rebalanced to the asia-pacific is benefiting kazakhstan and turkmenistan. the second source of c

azerbaijan and kazakhstan and perhaps turkmenistan will want the west to remain engaged in their region this will help them assure a stable balance among the two neighboring great powers. the west could help them fill the security vacuum that will emerge as coalition troops withdraw from afghanistan. energy alone will guaranty a degree of western support for the independence and prosperity of the three baby giants. this however may not be enough. as europe and america retrench from some of their far-flung commitments they will concentrate their foreign policy energies increasing on countries making progress towards democracy and respect for human rights. we see this already in western support for ukraine and georgia. the main challenge ahead for the three baby giants is to find better ways to couple energy wealth with more freedoms. this will help them build sustainable prosperity and a loyal citizenry that will resist internal and external threats and help the baby giants live at peace with their neighbors, even ones much more powerful. these countries should also try to offset adversi

that polls have completed the facility, we could get there and also there is another -- i was in azerbaijan recently. zeris want to ship their gas to eastern europe. it would give a lot of confidence for investment in ukraine, because it would mean they would not be solely dependent on russians. >> turning to the middle east, the violence in gaza has spread to the west bank. if the cease-fire does not hold, what are the indications? >> my hope is that the cease-fire holds. that is the only thing i see right now. we have got to work with every party to try to get that cease-fire to hold. there's one other thing we should point out. the only reason they are able to fire these longer-range rockets at their firing on tel aviv and jerusalem, is because those rockets were all provided by iran. the other actor is the ayatollah giving this inventory to hamas. they have been critical on extending the nuclear talks with iran. are you going to extend more sanctions? >> here is my critique. i was not against extending sanctions, or extending the time. for negotiation, my question was why should they be

. >>> short list, ever kazakhstan and azerbaijan. reno's hope for 2026. >> reporter: right here is where they are trying to bring the 2026 games, the 1960 winter games were held in squaw valley, one of the ski resorts. in some ways the olympics have always been part of the culture. >> 12th in the gold medal table of the olympic games. >> it was a home affair, when squaw valley only hosted athletes from 30 countries competing in 26 events. this year sochi's games cost $45 billion u.s u.s., businesses ard the lake say the games would bring the region valuable publicity as well as much needed upgrades to roads and other facilities. >> again i think you need to differentiate between state sponsored games like sochi like beijing, back to 36 ber lynn and games that are really more mitch if you will. >> lake tahoe doesn't have a budget yet but other games though cheaper than sochi still cost billions. salt lake city in twoop 2002, 2.2 billion torino, 4 billion. vancouver in 2010, 6.4 billion. the plan reno would serve as the base city for v

index of these doing business kazakhstan is near the top one fourth of countries in the world and azerbaijans in the top one third. finally the west should realize that the strength of its support for ukraine against russian aggression and support for reforms in grief -- ukraine will send a positive and important signal to central asia and the south caucasus. this region is further from europe then ukraine and feels itself more exposed to external predation. a robust western posture in ukraine including economic sanctions on russia will help deter moscow from -- other neighbors. demonizing russia's not the policy. deterring it is. thank you. >> thank you bill. julia nanay. >> thank you and thank you all for coming. i think what i would like to do is send us in the direction of what all this means for russia in terms of russian energy and the chapter that jen and i offered we focus quite a bit on russia. and to look at how russia must be perceiving some of the developments not only between itself and ukraine but also in the broader region when you look at iran and this whole problem of sudden

i go to an go la, azerbaijan. >> last question, the last time after our city, we went to the gulf.f people feel the gulf is played out. you keep spending there. >> that's right. yes. >> why? >> well, when i saw you a year ago, our production was around 150,000 barrels a day. it's well over 250,000 barrels a day in yun one year. we brought projects back on. we have two gulf of mu kex mexico projects going on. last time i saw you, we couldn't bid for the gulf. we bid and we are bullish on the gulf of mexico. very committed to it and doing bes in the u.s. >> it is an amazing turn around him. you you slimmed down, you have a 3% production growth. much better than exxon. the dividend is solid. it seems like you guys have it right. maybe a little bad luck. you do seem to be getting a big turn around going on. >> it feels better in the company. one of the targets we had if 2014 is to generate $30 billion cash flow, halfway through the year, we've had 16 billion now we got our sights on 2018. >> congratulation on everything you did to turn around bp. thank you. that's the ceo of bp. what a

beginning in 2012, this project will bring natural gas from azerbaijan. the project is the first in decades to bring new volumes into europe and not just the route to the existing volumes. the project reaches the specific market of southern europe and is relied on in a single source and has a multiple. the southern corridor can facilitate the increased volumes of gas from different sources such as iraq and eastern mediterranean and those discovered in the region. they can be built to an additional market in europe. as her beja made a strategic choice to sell its gas to europe and sent to local markets that would have been a more profitable and they've noticed the strategic choice. this project needs continued eu and american supertype sure they have undermined the route. to stabilize georgia and four to the development of the gladiator gas corridor. the interest resolving the conflict is important for removing the potential means for russia to destabilize the region. and other potential to the source of natural gas in your brothers from israel. a stern me