The Neftyanye Kamni oil field near Baku, Azerbaijan is shown in this 1999 photo. The United States, Russia and Iran are fiercely competing for the right to bring Azeri oil to the hungry markets of the west and experts say that a U.S.-backed plan to ship the oil via Turkey, bypassing Russia, is slowly gaining the upper hand. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
The Neftyanye Kamni oil field near Baku, Azerbaijan is shown in this 1999 photo. The United States, Russia and Iran are fiercely competing for the right to bring Azeri oil to the hungry markets of the west and experts say that a U.S.-backed plan to ship the oil via Turkey, bypassing Russia, is slowly gaining the upper hand. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)