I welcome the participants, guests and organisers of the III International Regional Rail Business Forum Strategic Partnership 1520: Baltic Region!

Thanks to its geographic location, Latvia is an important partner between the East and West. Russia and Latvia are also united by the 1520 mm broad gauge, allowing freight to be transported by rail right to the ships, thus providing the best logistics for land-sea transshipment, especially in transcontinental transportation. Latvia’s multimodal ports are attractive to Russian shippers and investors.   

Russia is Latvia’s key transportation partner. Russian exports account for 70% of Latvia’s freight transportation towards Riga, Ventspils and Liepaja. This year, new prospects have been taking shape for cooperation in the transportation sphere. The project to build Riga Fertiliser Terminal at Riga’s Port for transshipment of mineral fertilisers made by Uralchem Holding PLC is getting underway. The Latvian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission has spelled out in detail a prospective project for building a high speed rail link between Moscow and Riga. This aim is to increase freight transportation via the East-West multimodal corridor. 

A top level meeting in Moscow in December 2010 helped boost development of Russian-Latvian relations, laying a solid foundation for expansion of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, including in the area of transportation. Of special importance in this respect is the signing of a double taxation avoidance agreement, something the business communities of both countries have wanted for years.  

The forum’s agenda covers key aspects of rail transportation in the Baltic region, focusing particularly on close relations between railways and sea ports, which requires balanced and well-considered decisions by all participants in the transportation services market, as well as smooth cooperation between railways on Eurasian territory. I believe our emerging trade and economic links can become a pillar of real partnership between our countries.  

I am convinced that the forum will produce constructive discussions and an interesting exchange of opinions on urgent problems of rail transportation for the benefit of Russian-Latvian cooperation.

I wish the forum participants success and useful new meetings!

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Latvia

Alexander Veshnyakov