August 2011, Batumi, Georgia - High class 'model' in the nightclub of the Sheraton hotel. Batumi has been undergoing intensive development since the end of the 2008 Georgia-Russia war. Many of the new five star hotels cater to the oil rich Azeris from across the border who are flush with petrodollars flowing from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. Since it became operational in 2006 the BTC has allowed Azerbaijan to export its oil to world markets through Georgia and Turkey, thus avoiding Russia. It has given Azerbaijan a greater sense of independence and a new role for Georgia in Europe's energy security to the annoyance of Russia. Some blame the BTC for Russia's continued covert involvement in regional latent conflicts especially the South Ossetian crisis which led to the Russia-Georgia war.
August 2011, Baku, Azerbaijan Baku's iconic "Flame Towers" emerging in the background, while the smaller houses in the foreground are set for demolition. Since the flow of money has poured into Baku thanks to the Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the Azeri capital has gone through intensive redevelopment. However human rights organisations criticise the way in which inhabitants of old Baku have been forcefully evicted from homes earmarked for demolition with inadequate compensation.
August 2011, Azerbaijan Dortyol refugee camp near the town of Berde, Agdam region. The Agdam region is on the border of the Nagorno Karabakh enclave, controlled by Armenia since 1994, and claimed by Azerbaijan. In spite of a cease fire brokered in 1994 skirmishes between Azeris and Armenians are an almost daily occurrence. Thousands of Azeri refugees fled Nagorno Karabakh and have lived in refugee camps for nearly 20 years. These used to be corrugated iron huts until 2008 when the Azeri government, awash with oil money from the Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan pipeline (BTC), built new large homes for many of the families. Although this has considerably increased their daily comfort it has also conveyed an air of permanence to their refugee status. I
