Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Moscow Opens Internal Russian Waterways to Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani Shipping

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 14 – The Russian government has given permission to three Kazakhstani ships to use Russia’s internal waterways for transit between the Caspian and Baltic seas, thus expanding the internationalization of its domestic routes that Moscow began when it allowed Azerbaijani ships to use such waterways between the Caspian and the Sea of Azov.

            These Russian decisions appear to reflect an effort to keep those two countries within its orbit by allowing transit over existing pathways given that some of the rail lines Moscow hoped to develop are still in the process of being constructed and represent a move that remains under the radar of most other countries which are less reliant on waterways.

            It also reflects Moscow’s attempts to find a way around problems with its own shipbuilding and river network systems by roping other countries into these sectors (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2023/07/moscows-need-for-ships-growing-across.html, jamestown.org/program/growing-problems-with-russias-waterways-restrict-moscows-ability-to-achieve-its-goals/ and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2022/12/inadequate-transportation.html).

            For reports on these two new riverine developments, see http://casp-geo.ru/pravitelstvo-rf-razreshilo-trem-kazahstanskim-sudam-tranzit-iz-kaspijskogo-v-baltijskoe-more/ and seanews.ru/en/2023/03/07/ru-azerbajdzhanskim-sudam-razreshili-tranzit-iz-kaspijskogo-morja-v-azovskoe/.)

No comments:

Post a Comment