Today, a meeting of the Coordinating Council for the Development of Foreign Economic Activity of the "Yug" Association for Economic Cooperation of the Southern Federal District (SFD) of the Russian Federation's subjects was held via video conference. The meeting addressed the implementation of the national project "International Cooperation and Export" in the SFD regions, the promotion of goods under the "Made in Russia" brand in foreign markets, and the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Vladimir Golovkov, Minister of External Relations of the Astrakhan Region and Chairman of the Coordinating Council for the Development of Foreign Economic Activity of the "Yug" Association moderated the session.
Participants were greeted by Pavel Pronin, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the "Yug" Association. He noted that the Southern Federal District has unique advantages, including access to key ports in the Black Sea-Azov and Caspian basins, a strong agricultural sector, a world-class logistics cluster, and a growing industrial sector.
In his speech, Vladimir Golovkov highlighted the role of the Southern Federal District in the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
The total capacity of Astrakhan’s ports is 16 million tons. In 2023, they handled 4.5 million tons of cargo, and by 2024, this figure had already exceeded 6 million tons – a level not seen in over a decade. Goods are shipped from both Russian regions and the Republic of Belarus, passing through the Astrakhan Region to the Islamic Republic of Iran and further in transit to the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and other countries.
Vladimir Golovkov also spoke about the development of the Caspian Cluster, which combines two special economic zones – an industrial-production zone and a port zone, the first and only of its kind in Russia. Current residents of the port zone are implementing projects to build large container, grain, and refrigerated terminals. Discussions are underway with Turkmen partners to establish a Turkmen logistics center in the port zone and launch a regular shipping line between the ports of the Astrakhan Region and the Turkmenbashi International Seaport.
Astrakhan also operates a rail-road logistics hub, handling cargo flows from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and India, which arrive via the corridor’s western railway branch. Approximately 100,000 tons of agricultural and other goods pass through the hub annually, both imported into Russia and exported. The terminal’s current capacity allows for processing over 1 million tons of cargo per year, with potential for further growth.
In conclusion, Vladimir Golovkov emphasized that the Astrakhan Region is interested in enhancing cooperation with other SFD regions to improve the efficiency of the INSTC and is ready to serve as a transport and logistics hub for promoting Russian goods in the Caspian, Middle Eastern, and South Asian markets.
Elena Kurnosova, Deputy Chair of the Committee for Economic Policy and Development of the Volgograd Region, reported on the progress of the "International Cooperation and Export" national project in the region. She also touched on the development of foreign economic activity in the SFD under external sanctions pressure.
Head of the International Cooperation and Foreign Economic Activity Department of the Rostov Region’s Ministry of Economic Development Pavel Voytov spoke about the regional project "Systemic Measures for Developing International Cooperation and Export in the Rostov Region" as part of the national project.
Vladislav Yesin, Head of the Russian Export Center’s Representative Office in Krasnodar, shared insights on promoting SFD manufacturers' goods in foreign markets under the "Made in Russia" brand.
In his closing remarks, Vladimir Golovkov thanked all the participants for their substantive, constructive, and productive discussion.