Moscow Region expecting Chinese cos to get involved in Domodedovo transport hub project
KRASNOGORSK. July 5 (Interfax) - The Moscow Region government is expecting cooperation with Chinese companies in the creation of a Domodedovo transport hub, deputy head of the regional government Denis Butsayev said.
"One of the biggest railway transport hub projects is being implemented in the Moscow Region at Domodedovo in collaboration with Kazakh and Chinese partners as part of the Belt and Road Initiative [...] Our colleagues have now fulfilled all the preliminary conditions for the project to start," the official told journalists following Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's meeting with a Chinese delegation.
Butsayev said that the Chinese companies could get involved in the creation of infrastructure facilities, adding that special economic zone (SEZ) is planned for Domodedovo. "They [Chinese companies] could be investors in the creation of the infrastructure and invest directly in enterprises in the SEZ. We are, principally, of course, expecting them to set up in the SEZ," he said.
The official said that the project is "a part of the Belt and Road initiative" which is being developed by several countries including Kazakhstan. "In this respect we really expect our Chinese partners to use the opportunity to get involved in the project in the Moscow Region," Butsayev said.
In autumn 2016, the CEO of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Dmitry Pankin said that his organization was considering the possibility of financing the project to create a logistics hub in Domodedovo. "Russian Railways (RZD) and Kazakh investors are involved. It is now at the preliminary stage, but it could become an important part of the transport route from China to Western Europe," he said, adding that EDB could provide $100-$200 million while the total cost of the project has been estimated as "in the hundreds of million of dollars."