Russian Railways PR Director Sergey Mikhailov (left) denies any political reasons behind a drop in railroad traffic with Estonia.
Photo: Valery Levitin
|
 |
Cargo Traffic from Estonia to Russia Down 25 Percent
Cargo traffic from Estonia to Russia fell one-fourth in June against last June’s figures, Estonian railroad officials said Tuesday. Russia, however, still denies it slapped sanctions on the Baltic country after April’s row over a Soviet war memorial. Moscow says that trade declined due to maintenance works on the rail, but unofficial sources report that trade was halted following a personal instruction of Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov. The Estonian Transit Association says that Russia is applying hidden sanctions against the country.
Estonia’s railroad company Eesti Raudtee said cargo traffic to Russia went down 25.6 percent to 2.59 million tons, compared to last June’s indicator. The May figure was 22.3 percent lower than last May.
Estonia’s Economy Minister Juhan Parts met Russian officials in St. Petersburg in mid-June and was assured that Russia was not planning any sanctions against his country. He earlier said transit of Russian cargo through Estonia slipped 40 percent in May against the same period last year.
Russian Railways cite repairs on railroad lines as the only reason for a halt in trade. The Russian railroad monopolist placed a cap on train service with Estonia in May citing the same repair reasons after a furious row between Moscow and Tallinn over the removal of a Soviet war memorial. Russian Railways said Tuesday repairs are still underway but did not specify when the works are to be over.
The Russian Transport Ministry said Tuesday that it “has never put any restrictions on cargo turnover with Estonia” but added that “the matter is in the competence of private firms.” Russian Railways noted that some exporters opted for other transit routes in “the current situation.” Unofficial sources of Kommersant say that the railroad company is following instructions of Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov to punish Estonia for its intransigence.
Russian firms deny reports that they are rerouting their businesses voluntarily. Companies say they had to go to other markets even despite higher costs.
Transit payments are estimated to account for 20 to 25 percent of Estonia’s GDP. 65 percent of all transit cargos go through Russian Railways.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 18, 2007
|
|
|
