Ambassador: Belarus intends to transfer 60 thousand tonnes of cargo through port of Astrakhan in 2024

Belarus needs to expand its participation in the North-South transport corridor and strengthen co-operation with the port of Astrakhan within the framework of this global project – as stated by the Ambassador of Belarus to Russia, Dmitry Krutoi, commenting on liaisons with the Russian region in the field of port infrastructure

The diplomat recalled the situation two years ago, when Belarus was faced with the need to reorient its cargo shipment using the infrastructure of Russian ports. Astrakhan then was among the first locations to promptly offer a programme for transhipment of goods through its port and a programme for its modernisation to meet Belarusian needs.

“They were primarily interested in potash fertilisers, timber cargoes, and metal products. It was stated at a recent meeting of the working group that the agreement envisaging 100,000 tonnes of transhipment signed then had been fulfilled. In 2023, the situation was different: average export prices for our main goods dropped – so, naturally, logistics along the North-South corridor began to put more pressure on the overall economy of such transportation, and volumes decreased,” Mr. Krutoi informed.

Meanwhile, the present task is to reach high volumes of cargo transhipment through the port of Astrakhan again, and plans for 2024 envisage transportation of 60 thousand tonnes of Belarusian goods: woodworking products, slabs, lumber and products of the Belarusian Steel Works. As noted by Mr. Krutoi, the Belarusian presence in Russian ports of the North-South transport corridor remains of strategic importance.

“Taking into account the signing of the agreement on a free trade zone between the EAEU countries and Iran, we have actually started negotiations with the largest state logistics operator of Iran on a bilateral basis with the participation of the Astrakhan side. Literally, within the framework of our delegation's visit, they will continue to find an effective average tariff: for the delivery of goods to Astrakhan, transportation to Iran, shipment through Iran to northern ports, and perhaps even ending with a corridor to India’s Mumbai, because the Indian market is also important for us,” the diplomat said.

Mr. Krutoi said that Russian Railways had retained the entire volume of discounts for Belarus, depending on the types of cargo.

In turn, the Governor of the Astrakhan Region, Igor Babushkin, informed on the plans to continue the modernisation of the port infrastructure. As a result, as summed up by Dmitry Krutoi, Belarusians should not leave the facility, but rather expand their presence on the North-South route, which is Russia's basic logistics project.