Expert: North-South transport corridor is key element of Belarus’ new export logistics

The North-South international transport corridor is of priority importance for the export-oriented economy of Belarus as the shortest and most profitable route for transporting goods through Iran to the Middle East and South Asia – as stated by the Adviser-Envoy of the Embassy of Belarus in the Russian Federation, Aleksandr Shpakovsky, at the recently held 8th Caspian Media Forum, the Belarusian diplomatic mission in Russia reports in its Telegram channel

Belarus is a party to the intergovernmental agreement on the North-South international transport corridor and is interested in maximising the development of this project.

The strategic importance of the corridor has become even more relevant in connection with the introduction of large-scale sanctions of the collective West against the Belarusian economy, including sectoral restrictions on potash and mineral fertilisers. "In this case, we are talking not only about the Belarusian economy and the protection of the legitimate national interests of Belarus, but also about the state of global food security, since Belaruskali is the world's second producer of potash fertilisers," Mr. Shpakovsky said.

Currently, the absurd actions of the United States (as well as of Poland and the Baltic States that are dancing to the latter’s tune) to restrict Belarus' access to the port infrastructure jeopardise the security of entire regions and continents. "According to our estimates prepared on the basis of UN FAO data, the almost complete exclusion of Belarus from the list of potash suppliers for African countries (our country's market share decreased from 42 percent to 3 percent) has led to a 17 percent drop in the grain harvest in Africa, which was reflected in the further aggravation of the problem of global hunger. In addition, we are talking about a shameless violation of international law, in particular the UN Convention on Access to the Sea, Article 3 of which obliges coastal states to provide countries without a seashore with free access to the sea, transit and port infrastructure," the expert added.

In the light of the above circumstances, expanding the capabilities of the North-South corridor is a mutually beneficial and optimal solution that allows maintaining constructive trade and economic relations between sovereign states, regardless of the geopolitical whims of the United States and their entourage.

Mr. Shpakovsky stressed that Belarus maintains trusting allied relations with all the states of the Caspian Sea region, the issue of the North-South corridor development is on Minsk’s negotiating agenda with partners from Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and it is being discussed at the highest levels.

"The absolute priority of our foreign policy is integration within the framework of the Union State of Russia and Belarus; accordingly, the North-South international transport corridor is in the focus of attention of the two leaders: Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin. In this context, a special emphasis today is placed on the relations between Minsk and the Astrakhan Region, which – due to its geographical location – has historically been a link between the West and the East, Russia's trade gateway to the Caspian Sea," the expert explained.

An important impetus to the development of co-operation was given by the visits of delegations of the Astrakhan Region headed by Governor Igor Babushkin to Belarus in December 2021, June 2022, and February 2023. On October 26th-27th, 2022, Belarus’ Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko visited the Astrakhan Region. On June 28th, 2023, on the side-lines of the 10th Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus, negotiations were held between the Ambassador of Belarus, Dmitry Krutoi, and the Governor of the Astrakhan Region, Igor Babushkin.

With regard to the use of the North-South corridor, such an intensity of high-level contacts has led to a significant positive effect. In 2022, the volume of cargo transhipment through Astrakhan ports increased 11.6-fold compared to 2021.

According to experts, the possibilities of the corridor in the future involve the shipment of cargo in the amount of 15-20m tonnes. The potential for co-operation in terms of using the port infrastructure of the Lotos economic zone for the needs of Belarusian exporters has not been fully developed and is far from being exhausted.

"We confirm our interest in further intensive co-operation on the development of the North-South international transport corridor, express readiness to discuss specific investment projects, thank the Russian side and specifically the Astrakhan Region, as well as other partners, for their interaction," Mr. Shpakovsky summed up.