In Astrakhan, the Russian city in the Nizhny Volga region, the II International Forum “MTK” North-South “began work.
According to local media, more than 300 companies from 20 countries take part in the event. Among them are delegations from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, India, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and other countries.
Opening the forum, the Governor of the Astrakhan Region Igor Babushkin noted that the region is a key section of the Transcaspian route of the corridor. According to him, in 2022, the volume of transportation along the route amounted to about 15 million tons, and according to the results of 2023 – already 18 million tons .. In 2022, the volume of transportation along the corridor amounted to about 15 million tons, and at the end of 2023 – already 18 million tons. Intermediate indicators of this year also demonstrate growth.
Babushkin also emphasized that the Astrakhan region is a key section of the Transkaspian route MTK “North – South”, the main advantage of which is the direct delivery of goods to Iran.
The strengthening of foreign economic relations with Azerbaijan, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and other friendly states is actively ongoing, he noted.
According to the governor, the Caspian cluster, uniting industrial and port special economic zones, is a promising platform for increasing the cargo flow. On the territory of the port zone, container and grain terminals are equipped.
The current infrastructure of the sea ports of Astrakhan and Olya is also updated, which is which a significant increase in cargo turnover is underway. Their capacity today is 16 million tons. In 2023, the volumes of transshipment amounted to 4.5 million tons. In January-September of this year, the total cargo turnover through the Astrakhan ports amounted to almost 4 million tons, which is 27% higher than the cargo turnover over the same period last year. There have been no such indicators for more than 10 years.
“to achieve such a result allowed, among other things, the dredging of the Volga -Caspian marine shipping channel connecting the internal waterways with the Caspian Sea. According to the president of Russia, the passage sediment in the channel was increased to 4.5 meters,” Babushkin said.
In the framework of the forum, representatives of the business community, export-import companies, banking, logistics, industry, agriculture and government agencies will discuss the relevance of the formation of new markets along the North Yuga route, the prospects for interaction along this path of the CASPIA countries and opportunities for the possibilities for the countries joining new countries.