July 21, 2009 - 21:51 AMT
US want to foster economic growth and prosperity in Caspian and Central Asian states
United States want to help Caspian and Central Asian countries find new routes to market and foster their economic growth and prosperity, US state Department says in a release, quoting Richard Morningstar, US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy.

Some people have portrayed our energy policy and Russia's as the next round in the Great Game in Central Asia. I reject this analogy. Energy security should not be a zero sum game. Zero sum games are too expensive and we need to find areas where we try to cooperate with Russia," American senior official stated.

US wants to assist Europe in its quest for energy security, Morningstar says. "Europe is our partner on any number of global issues. We have an interest in an economically strong Europe. Of course, Europe is composed of many different states and energy security is a more pressing issue to some than to others. Some countries in Europe do not have a diverse energy mix and depend to a great degree on one supplier and one transport route. When that route is disrupted, as we witnessed in January 2009, the consequences can be severe,' US Special Envoy noted, adding that US aims to encourage the development of multiple energy sources with multiple routes to market.