A working group of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus is in Murmansk on a business visit today. The work of the delegation began with the laying of flowers at the memorial complex "Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War".
Then an introductory meeting was held at the Regional Management Center, where the parties discussed possible options for cooperation between the Murmansk Region and the Republic of Belarus, including the construction of a marine terminal for the transshipment of potash fertilizers.
"The Government of the Murmansk Region is systematically working on the implementation of the Arctic Zone Development Strategy approved by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation in 2020. One of the main points of the Strategy in our region is the integrated development of the Murmansk seaport and the Murmansk transport hub. We are conducting a substantive dialogue on the development of the Murmansk port's capacity for transshipment of goods from the Republic of Belarus. These plans have a huge synergistic effect for our states. The Republic of Belarus receives a safe, year–round transport corridor for the access of its goods and cargo to world markets, and our region receives a new impetus to development, additional jobs and tax revenues, which together will contribute to improving the standard of living of Northerners," said Olga Kuznetsova, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus Natalia Alexandrovich confirmed that the purpose of the visit of the delegation of Belarusian experts is related to the establishment and strengthening of foreign economic relations.
"Last year, the Republic of Belarus faced unprecedented sanctions pressure, traditional cargo routes that had been formed for decades were severed. We see the need to create a basic marine infrastructure for the Belarusian cargo flow – these are potash fertilizers, general cargo, export and import. We are closely following the Development Strategy of the Arctic Zone and the Northern Sea Route and consider it necessary for the Republic of Belarus to actively participate in the development of the Murmansk transport hub," Natalia Alexandrovich said.
Igor Milidovich, Head of the Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg, confirmed that the republic and the Murmansk Region are connected by various areas of joint work.
"The visit to Minsk of the Governor of the Murmansk region Andrey Chibis, which took place in September last year, brought a truly new impetus to bilateral cooperation. Last year, the region purchased a large batch of municipal equipment from us. Belarusian trolleybuses and buses run through Murmansk and the municipalities of the region. Not so long ago, we had a new joint strategic direction – the supply of fish feed, which allowed us to seriously diversify bilateral trade. The Murmansk Region market is traditional in terms of the supply of quarry equipment – at the end of last year, new large contracts were signed, some of the equipment has already been put into operation," Igor Milidovich said.
A group of experts from the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus will work in the Murmansk Region for three days.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /