Astrakhan Region is ready to increase the volume of transshipment of Belarusian cargo through its ports.

The Governor noted, "We have established the process of cargo transit through the ports of the Astrakhan Region. Today, our ports have the potential to handle 16 million tonnes of cargo. Our port operators have modernized their facilities to meet the conditions of cargo transit from Belarus to South-East Asia and the Persian Gulf. Cargoes are coming. They are timber, paper, machinery, fertilizers. And we are ready to significantly increase the volume of cargo transshipment. The conditions for increasing the volume of cargo transshipment are very clear, and we are discussing them within the framework of our joint working group".

Igor Babushkin said that on the instructions of the President of Russia, conditions have been created for full loading of all vessels travelling through the Volga-Caspian Channel. Passing depths of 4.5 meters have been provided, which made it possible to increase cargo transit through the ports of Astrakhan in the amount of 6 million tonnes last year. "Such a result has not been seen for decades. This shows that the conditions for cargo transit in the direction of the Caspian Sea and in the opposite direction have been sufficiently created today" the regional leader emphasized.

He also noted that the previous meeting with the President of Belarus in December 2021 gave an additional motivation to the development of relations between the Astrakhan Region and the Republic of Belarus. At that time, an agreement was signed, and a roadmap was formed, which included a wide range of areas for the development of co-operation. The parties are now not only trading, but have also established close cooperation in a number of areas.