A new oil pipeline some call the New Silk Road, snaking from Azerbaijan to Turkey, is set to open today. It will carry oil to the West, bypassing Russia and the Middle East.

The 1,774-kilometre Baku-Ceyhan route has taken four years to build. The presidents of Georgia and Azerbaijan are attending the grand-scale opening along with political leaders from 30 other countries. The project will make Turkey a major player in the international energy scene and create one of the world's largest oil terminals at Ceyhan.