Middle East Countries Seek Development of Northern Sea Route, Russian Transport Minister States

 The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) took place from Tuesday to Friday and was hosted by the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia’s Pacific coast city of Vladivostok. Sputnik was the general information partner of EEF 2024.

Middle Eastern countries are interested in the development of the Northern Sea Route, with China already working on several projects in this direction, Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit said in an interview with Sputnik.

“We, of course, count on the development of the Northern Sea Route, the great Northern Sea Route. Today, there is great interest from our partners in the Middle East. The People’s Republic of China is implementing several projects in this direction,” Starovoit said on the sidelines of the EEF.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his address at the EEF, said on Thursday that Russia would continue to modernize cargo transshipment and enhance the capacity of its ports within the borders of the Northern Sea Route, which exceeded 40 million tonnes by the end of 2023.