Intergovernmental agreement on transit of Belarusian goods through Russia signed

An intergovernmental agreement on transit of Belarusian goods through the territory of the Russian Federation was signed by the Belarusian and Russian transport ministers, Aleksei Avramenko and Vitaly Savelyev, Belarus’ Transport and Communications Ministry reports

The document envisages creation of alternative routes for the supply of export products: cargo transportation to third countries will be carried out through seaports and through land transport infrastructure.

Mr. Savelyev recalled that, at a recent meeting of Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, issues of bilateral co-operation were discussed and the heads of state paid special attention to the economy – implementation of major joint projects.

"We always manage to achieve significant results in a joint work of our relevant ministries. This shows in practice the level of integration within the Union State, where the transport complex is one of the foundations,” the Russian Transport Minister said. “I am convinced that the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on co-operation in development of cargo transportation, including mineral fertilisers, through transport corridors passing via the territories of our states will give a new impetus to national economies. The document will enable the Belarusian side to maintain its export volumes and enter new markets, also strengthening our transport co-operation."

"For my part, I would like to appreciate the constructive co-operation with the Russian Transport Ministry. Let me remind you that we have been closely engaged in the agreement on petroleum products, and I am very glad that it is currently operating and yielding results. We have now come to a broader agreement on a fairly good range of goods, which we will continue to develop and build new logistics chains. This is the main task that our transport agencies focus on. I am sure that the signing of the relevant agreement will give a new impetus to the development of our relations, and the tasks set by the heads of state and government of our countries will certainly be fulfilled," Mr. Avramenko commented.

The implementation of the signed agreement will ensure guaranteed access of economic entities of Belarus to the transport services of Russian suppliers to organise reliable and stable export supplies.

Last February, the two states’ governments signed an agreement on transhipment of Belarusian oil products through Russian ports for further exports to third countries. According to Mr. Savelyev, the current transhipment figures make it possible to predict the transit volume of petroleum products at the level of about 3m tonnes by the end of the year – against the planned 2 million 400,000 tonnes.

The successful experience of implementing the first agreement, the efficient routes built and a growing capacity of the Russian port infrastructure have enabled the two states’ transport ministries to sign a new intergovernmental document.