The volume of container transportation by Viking combined transport train in January 2020 increased 21% compared with January 2019, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine has said in a statement. Ukraine and Lithuania are organizing container transportation by the Lithuania-Belarus-Ukraine Containerships train.
“Today, cooperation between Ukraine and Lithuania in the field of transport infrastructure is developing in an upward direction, including in the field of international freight transportation by rail. The Viking train and the Containerships Train are important international logistics projects, the successful implementation of which opens up prospects for attracting additional freight flows for both countries,” Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy said during a meeting in Poland at Europe of the Carpathians International Conference held on February 21-22.
The ministry said that Lithuania is a strategically important partner of Ukraine for updating the national infrastructure and realizing the transit potential in the Black Sea-Baltic Sea traffic.
Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania Jaroslav Narkevič, in turn, noted the importance of further successful cooperation in the field of transport infrastructure for Ukrainian-Lithuanian economic relations and reiterated the desire to develop and deepen bilateral relations.
In addition, the ministers of both countries discussed the state and prospects of development of Ukrainian-Lithuanian cooperation in the field of infrastructure and joint participation in international logistics projects.
“The parties are determined in every way to help remove barriers in international road transport. At the first stage, the issue of exchanging multiple transit permission is being worked out,” the Ukrainian ministry said in the statement.
The Viking combined transport train route passes through Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania and connects the chain of container and piggyback lines in the Baltic region with a similar system of the Black, Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. The total length of its route is 1,753 km.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk states that the idea of jointly hosting the Olympic Games with Belarus deserves in-depth study.
“In my opinion, this idea definitely deserves in-depth study. The government is now working to study this situation from different points of view and offer a concept to our partners if this initiative can be implemented in the near future,” Honcharuk said at a meeting of the organizing committee for preparation and participation of Ukrainian athletes in the Games of the ХХХII Olympic Games and the XVI Paralympic Games 2020 in Tokyo (Japan).
According to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine Volodymyr Borodiansky, traditionally preparations for such large-scale sporting events are conducted during 5-10 years.
“We propose, in order to determine the possibility of creating a joint holding of such games with the Republic of Belarus, to study in detail the resources we have, the experience of Belarus, the experience of other countries in preparation,” he added.
Borodiansky invited the national Olympic committees to create a joint working group to study such opportunities.
As reported, in September 2019, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko stated that the republic could hold the Olympic Games together with the Russian Federation or Ukraine. “Of course, it’s difficult for us to compete with the giants, but we can hold the Olympics, for example, with the Ukrainians or the Russians,” he said.
Belarus and Ukraine will hold the Third Forum of Regions in Grodno, and Belarus has begun the relevant preparations, the Belarusian government’s press service said in a statement. “Consistent with the Belarusian prime minister’s instruction No. 1R dated January 6, an organizing committee has been established to prepare for and to hold the Third Forum of Regions between Belarus and Ukraine in Grodno in 2020. It is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Lyashenko,” the statement said. The organizing committee has been tasked with elaborating and approving the plan of preparations for the event before February 20.
The First Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine took place in Gomel, Belarus, in October 2018, and the Second Forum of Regions was hosted by Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in October 2019. The parties signed commercial contracts with a total value of $140 million and $500 million, respectively.
The Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim intends to resume exports of oil products in January, Belneftekhim Deputy CEO Vladimir Sizov said.
“The resumption of [exports of oil products] is expected in January,” the state news agency BelTA quoted Sizov as saying on Saturday.
The resumption of exports “depends on how rhythmically and quickly the contracts are concluded,” he said.
“We expect that all possible restrictions will be lifted by the end of January – at least this is an optimistic scenario,” Sizov said.
Within the framework of the 27th meeting of the Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Belarusian Mixed Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, a meeting of co-chairs of the national parts of the Commission and a plenary meeting took place. “The visit of the Belarusian delegation of such level is a real opportunity to continue the dialogue with a view to practical implementation of the urgent tasks of cooperation in all areas of mutual interest for the peoples of our states,” the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers quoted Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine Oleksiy Orzhel as saying on Saturday.
It is noted that the constructive discussions held at expert consultations within the Commission will deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Belarus.
“Cooperation with the Republic of Belarus will ensure the development and functioning of stable and competitive sectors of the economy of our states. Implementation of the agreements will provide an opportunity to strengthen political, trade, economic and cultural ties between our countries,” Orzhel added.
Belarus will export about 2 billion kWh of electricity in 2019, which is almost two times more than in 2018, Deputy Minister of Energy of Belarus Vadim Zakrevsky told reporters in Minsk on Wednesday. “According to the results of the year, the total volume of electricity export can reach 2 billion kWh. In the past, it was about 1 billion kWh. Export could theoretically grow up to 4 billion kWh,” Zakrevsky said.
According to him, this year electricity is exported to the Baltic countries and Ukraine. At the same time, the deputy minister said that Ukraine is a premium market for Belarus in comparison with the Baltic. “The advantage of the benefits in supplying electricity to Ukraine compared to the Baltic is enormous. It is 80 to 20. Now there is such a price for Belarusian energy that it is beneficial for Ukrainians. Belarus does not dump and sells with profit,” the deputy minister said.
