Mutual communication and information exchange among businesses working in the industry is the pre-condition for improvement of Latvia’s transit industry, said Transport Ministry’s state secretary Kaspars Ozolins at a meeting of the Logistics Council.
The Logistics Council discussed the situation in the transit and logistics industry, as well as predictions and proposals for improving competitiveness.
Council members (Latvian Post, Riga International Airport, Ventspils Freeport, Transit Business Association, Liepaja Special Economic Zone, Latvian Auto, Baltic Association – Transport and Logistics, Riga Freeport and LDz Logistics) provided topical information about the situation in different businesses, work and plans for attraction of cargoes and different problematic matters and external influence.
It is emphasized that the situation in which Russian cargoes – mostly coal and oil products – have a tendency to decline has to be taken into account. This forces businesses to concentrate their efforts on alternative cargo segments and new markets.
It was noted at the meeting that there was a number of positive tendencies forming for the increase of container and Ro-Ro cargoes at ports, as well as development of cargo transports in aviation and e-commerce cargoes’ growth passing through Latvian Post in transit.
Ozolins noted that Transport Ministry’s attaches had started working in Latvia’s embassies in Russia and Kazakhstan. He proposed businesses working in the industry to communicate with them to ensure effective and purposeful cooperation with Russian and Kazakh businesses to attract new cargoes.
The council also discussed the active work performed by the ministry’s advisor in China, which had brought benefits on a political level and for mutual meetings among businessmen to form cooperation on all kinds of levels. Latvijas dzelzcels also has an office in Belarus. Businessmen are invited to use its potential because Belarus is an important transit industry partner.
Transport Ministry’s Transit Policy Department director Andris Maldups informed participants of the meeting about performed and planned international activities in 2017.
“Important international level activities have taken place since the last meeting of the Logistics Council – forums and expos, at which Latvia has presented its transit corridor’s advantages,” said Maldups. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
