How important is North-South transport corridor for Belarus?

Presidents of Belarus and Russia Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation in the evening on March 17. Among other topics, the heads of states discussed the prospects for building north-south transport corridor, passing through Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, BelTA informs.

This issue was also raised during the official visit of Alexander Lukashenko to Iran on March 12-13. Belarus intends to take part in the development of the international transport corridor together with Iran and Russia. "The Iranian side needs to build about 180 kilometers of railroad today. And the Iranian side has actively embarked on this work to complete the North-South railway corridor in the direction of the port of Bandar Abbas. This is also important for us, because when we talk about transport in Iran, we also talk about transit via Iran to distant countries. It is a very important corridor, and we have agreed to develop it together," said Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Alexei Avramenko.

Following the talks between the presidents of Belarus and Iran, a protocol on amendments to the intergovernmental agreement on international transport of February 4, 1998 was signed. "This means that our carriers, as well as the Iranian ones, can freely carry out bilateral transportation," said the head of the department.

Besides, on March 17, Vladimir Morozov, the director of Belarusian Railways, held a working meeting with Sergey Almeev, the director of Privolzhskaya Railroad, a branch of Russian Railways. The parties discussed cooperation in the field of cargo transportation along the international transport corridor North-South. They pointed out that the demand for cargo transportation in this direction is increasing with each passing year. There is an increase of cargo volumes both along the land route of the North-South corridor and using the Caspian Sea port infrastructure. New effective transport and logistics schemes and transportation terms are being adopted. In this regard, there was a discussion on the development of railway and port infrastructure, as well as further prospects for the organization of transportation of Belarusian export products within the international transport corridor North-South in the conditions of new transport and logistics schemes of cargo transportation by Belarusian cargo owners.