Belarus plans to ship 7 mln tonnes of cargo via St. Petersburg's Bronka port in 2025 - Lukashenko

MINSK. July 14 (Interfax) - Belarus plans to transfer around 7 million tonnes of cargo via St. Petersburg's Bronka seaport in 2025, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with a delegation from St. Petersburg led by governor Alexander Beglov in Minsk.

"We will transfer around 7 million tonnes of various cargo via this port this year. Both bulk cargoes and oil products. We'll load everything, will develop that port," Belarus'a BelTA official news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.

He thanked Beglov for support given to Belarus and the company that is constructing the Bronka port. "Quite a lot has been done. I'd even say very much has been done," he said.

Lukashenko recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier proposed constructing a port for Belarus in Russia. "I was surprised that he knew that whole port territory up to a meter. He told me, 'Here you are, if you want it, let's select a place for Belarus here, build it."

"A lot has already been done there. I think we can do even more together with you. But at this stage, we're really grateful for the support you provide," Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko also spoke of other plans on using Russian ports. "We plan also to enter Murmansk, as 7 million tonnes is not that much for us. This is a kind of reserve site, but a port should be built there, and this would take years. Therefore, we see [the Bronka port in St. Petersburg] as the main road to the world for our products," he said.