The II Astrakhan International Forum "MTK North–South" has started today. Fast entry into the premium markets of Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, the East, Asia, Africa and India." More than 300 companies from 20 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Oman, the UAE, Pakistan and Egypt, took part in the forum. For the first time, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Madagascar sent their delegations.
Also, compared to last year, the geography of forum participants from Russian regions has been significantly expanded. These are representatives of enterprises and logistics companies in the Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia, as well as from new regions of Russia.
Yesterday, the forum participants visited the ports and industrial enterprises of Astrakhan. A plenary session was held today, which was opened by the Governor of the Astrakhan Region, Igor Babushkin.
In his speech, the head of the region noted that at the annual BRICS summit, which brought together delegations from 35 countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on all countries to join the development of the North–South international transport corridor.
The Governor stressed that work on the implementation of this task is already underway. In 2022, the volume of traffic along the international transport corridor amounted to about 15 million tons, and by the end of 2023 – already 18 million tons. This year's interim figures also show growth.
Igor Babushkin noted that the Astrakhan region is a key section of the North–South trans–Caspian route, the main advantage of which is the direct delivery of goods to Iran.
In addition, the Astrakhan Region's foreign economic relations with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, India, Uzbekistan and other friendly states are being actively strengthened.
According to the Governor, the Caspian Cluster, which unites industrial and port special economic zones, is a promising platform for increasing cargo traffic. Container and grain terminals are being built on the territory of the port zone.
The existing infrastructure of the seaports of Astrakhan and Olya is also being updated, thanks to which there is a significant increase in cargo turnover. Their capacity today is 16 million tons. In 2023, transshipment volumes reached 4.5 million tons. In January-September of this year, the total cargo turnover through Astrakhan ports amounted to almost 4 million tons, which is 27% higher than the results of the same period last year.
The head of the Astrakhan region called on business representatives to take part in the work to attract new participants to the route and create conditions for their effective work.
There are discussion platforms at the forum, where experts have announced over 60 leading speakers and practitioners from different countries. Among the topics discussed are the relevance of the formation of new markets along the North–South route, the prospects for cooperation between the Caspian countries along this path and the opportunities for new countries to join. During the discussions, participants will receive answers to questions about the profitability and efficiency of certain goods for transportation in certain countries and regions, as well as about services and technologies in demand along the way.