Krutoi voiced details of meeting with President: options for railway and additional ports

At present, about nineteen Russian ports are involved in exports of various Belarusian goods, while exporters place a special emphasis on the ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk – as informed by Belarus’ Ambassador to Russia, Dmitry Krutoi, after his today’s meeting with the President

Touching upon the issue of logistics development in Russia, Mr. Krutoi noted that the work is progressing in two dimensions. In the first case, businesses work independently, directly going to Russian ports.

“At the moment, about nineteen Russian ports are involved in exports of Belarusian goods of various levels. Key volumes are controlled by the Government, ministers and specialiыed working groups. At today's meeting, the emphasis was placed on the ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk. These are the decisions on which we see progress in terms of the Belarusian national initiatives," the diplomat stressed.

As for the work with the ports of Murmansk, there are now basic pilot batches of Belarusian goods for shipment in order to calculate the economy. By the end of October, experts will be able to draw up a final business plan, especially since there are two main options for work and two alternatives in Murmansk.

The diplomat said that the Head of State was primarily interested in logistics in the direction of St. Petersburg, “The ports of St. Petersburg understand the convenience and prospect of working with Belarusians, so the issue of ‘a narrow neck’ – the railway – has emerged. There are two options here, and they have been presented to the President today. They were also discussed with the President of Russia by phone, and the presidents will already finalise something at their next meeting.

According to Mr. Krutoi, a simpler solution is to restore the passing stations, and financing is the key issue in this regard. “The Russian Railway has some resources, but it is necessary to make a decision at the government level in Russia, given that these are their stations. As regards the railway running through our territory, its volume will be enough for the medium term,” he said.