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.
