Sunday, 11 May 2025
A meeting of the working group on cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and Astrakhan Region of the Russian Federation was held. Belarusian delegation was led by Minister of Transport and Communications Alexei Lyakhnovich, and Russian delegation was led by Governor of Astrakhan Region Igor Babushkin. A protocol was signed following the meeting.
According to the head of Belarusian Ministry of Transport, the growth trend in freight traffic that emerged in 2024 will continue this year. According to preliminary data, approximately 60,000 tons of Belarusian export cargo were transported through Astrakhan ports in the first four months.
Astrakhan Region has expressed its readiness to increase the volume of Belarusian exports handled through its ports. This was stated by Igor Babushkin, Governor of Russian region: "We have established the process of cargo transit through the ports of Astrakhan Region. Today, our ports have the capacity to handle 16 million tons of cargo. Our port operators have modernized their facilities to handle cargo transit from Belarus to Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf. Cargo is flowing. And we are ready to significantly increase cargo transshipment volumes."
The regional governor reported that, by order of the Russian President, conditions have been created to fully load all vessels traveling along the Volga-Caspian Canal. Navigable depths of 4.5 meters have been ensured, to increase in cargo transit through Astrakhan's ports to 6 million tons last year. "This result hasn't been achieved in decades," he noted.
