Putin included the Caspian Sea in the sphere of strategic regional interests of Russia

When viewing the Baku Bay from a bird's-eye view - while on an aircraft or viewing through quadcopter video cameras, an extensive iridescent film from oil-containing waste thrown into the sea is clearly visible on the surface of the water.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's state visit to Azerbaijan, his participation on 11 March in the first meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council, bilateral negotiations and the symbolic reception (online) of a transit container train with Chinese cargo in Baku demonstrated the interest of both Caspian littoral states in each other.

A meeting on the issue of transporting Turkmen gas to Turkiye through Azerbaijan was held in Ankara. According to the Turkmen media, the importance of regular contacts between two state-owned companies - Turkish BOTAŞ and Turkmen state corporation “Turkmengaz” - was stressed at the meeting.

This year's upcoming elections in the TOP 10 countries for gas exports to Europe, as well as the June 6-9 elections to the European Parliament, which will be held in all 27 EU countries, may affect the situation in the world's commodity markets, increasing their already high volatility observed over the past 4 years.