ST PETERSBURG, 24 June (BelTA) – We have plans to redirect some 20 million tonnes of cargo to the ports of St Petersburg, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov on 24 June, BelTA has learned.
“We have a lot to talk about, especially amid the West's pressure on Belarus. We want to redirect about 20 million tonnes of cargo to your ports. I will ask for your support and assistance. We have agreed on this with the Russian president. You know about it as he had phoned you on the matter. I think that if we do it, St Petersburg will also have a great deal of work here. This means good jobs for our friends from St Petersburg,” said the head of state.
As BelTA reported earlier, the use of the Russian seaport infrastructure for the transshipment of Belarusian cargo was discussed at the meeting of Aleksandr Lukashenko with Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko in Minsk in early June. “I am going to lift the curtain a bit because I am not ready and don't have the right to tell you the details for now. We discussed a mixed option. Belarusian specialists have already examined the land plots where Belarusian port structures can be built. A very tight construction schedule was mentioned. And the existing terminals can be used meanwhile. We mentioned some of the terminals, which are ready to sign the paperwork now and go as far as possibly handing over some of the territory, some of the port facilities to the Belarusian side in order to start shipments today,” Alexander Drozdenko told the media on 2 June.
