Eurasian rail container route unaffected by sanctions on Belarus - UTLC ERA chief

<p> MINSK, Dec 20 - PrimePress. Sanctions on Belarus will not affect the Eurasian rail container route, said Alexey Grom, CEO of the United Transport and Logistics Company - Eurasian Rail Alliance JSC (UTLC ERA), the largest carrier on the New Silk Road. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The rail connection between Europe and Belarus is beneficial for both sides, Grom said in an interview published by Poland’s Rynek Kolejowy. “I don’t think anything can affect this very important business for our continent (...) Belarus is one of our shareholders and one of the most reliable partners when it comes to the whole Eurasian supply chain. Of course, we hear about possible risks related to the migration crisis, but this is not the first such case. Belarus has been under sanctions from European states for several years now, while at the same time proving daily that it is a reliable and stable partner in terms of technology, infrastructure and tariffs,” said Grom. </p> <p>   </p> <p> He believes that the route from Asia to Europe via Poland has been and will remain the main route for rail transport. “Poland is a key partner and customer for us. Every day we start with contacts with our Polish partners, because the efficiency of transport along the entire Eurasian supply chain depends on how cooperation with Poland develops,” stressed the UTLC ERA chief. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, the bulk of the container traffic will still go first to Poland and then to Germany. From there, the distribution network should operate throughout Europe. “We support all infrastructure projects in the Eurasian railway system, especially those on the Polish border,” said Grom. </p> <p>   </p> <p> On 30 Nov 2021, in an interview with Dmitry Kiselyov, General Director at the Russian state news agency MIA Russia Today, Lukashenko confirmed his readiness to take tough retaliatory measures in response to Poland’s possible closure of the border. He noted that if Belarus closed its borders, the transit of goods from the European Union (EU) to Russia and China, including the transportation of energy resources, would stop. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Polish officials repeatedly stated that they were considering the option of completely closing traffic across the Belarusian-Polish border in response to disturbances by illegal migrants at the border. </p> <p>   </p> <p> On 2 December 2021, the EU, the US, the UK and Canada adopted new sanctions against Belarus. In particular, the U.S. expanded its Belarus sanctions list by including another 20 Belarusian individuals, 12 legal entities and two aircraft; the EU added 17 individuals and 11 legal entities, and the UK imposed sanctions on Belaruskali and eight individuals. </p> <p>   </p> <p> UTLC ERA provides services for transportation of containers by regular container block trains on the route China-Europe-China through the territories of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. UTLC ERA was founded in 2014. </p> <p> The company accounts for 76% of all transit rail traffic on the 1,520 mm gauge. The railways of the three countries - Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan - each own 33.3% in UTLC ERA. End </p>

2021-12-21

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