The event
was attended by Valery Verenich, Director of the state association
"Belarusian Railway"; Alexander Rogozhnik, Chairman of the Vitebsk
Regional Executive Committee; Leonid Moyzhik, Chairman of the Orsha District
Executive Committee; Nuriddin Mamajonov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Belarus;
as well as representatives of the business community.
The maiden
train on this new route consisted of 71 wagons, carrying a total of over 3,840
tons of timber, sugar, dairy and fat products, animal feed, chemical industry
products, and other types of cargo bound for Uzbekistan.
Speakers
at the ceremony emphasized that the "Slavyansky Karavan" project will
not only establish a new transport corridor, but also play an important role in
further revitalizing trade and economic relations between Uzbekistan and
Belarus, increasing trade volume, and executing strategic tasks set by the
leaders of both states.
Alexander
Rogozhnik, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, noted that
this railway corridor will significantly reduce logistics costs. Specifically,
the cost of transporting a 20-ton container will be nearly 1.5 times cheaper
compared to road transport, with a delivery time of 5–7 days.
According
to him, the new route will also create opportunities for regular deliveries
from Uzbekistan of light industry goods, food products, and fruits and
vegetables, which are in high demand in the Belarusian market.
According
to the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, the train is initially scheduled to
run twice a month.
The
inaugural freight train run was launched as part of the implementation of
agreements reached during the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to
the Republic of Belarus on July 8–9.
