India’s Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has expressed confidence that the New Delhi and Moscow would make “progress” on developing the Chennai-Vladivostok Shipping Corridor, or the Eastern Maritime Corridor, during his forthcoming visit to Russia, according to an official statement.
On Monday, Sonowal left for the Russian Far-East city of Vladivostok to take part in the ongoing Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
During his visit, Sonowal will also hold meetings with Alexey Chekunkov, Russia’s Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic and Vitaly Saveliev, the Minister for Transport, New Delhi has said.
The ministers from both countries will discuss ways to bolster cooperation in strategic, trade and logistical cooperation across various sectors during these meetings, according to an official announcement.
The announcement by New Delhi said that India and Russia would also be discussing the possibility of enhancing cooperation on the Northern Sea Route and jointly developing a trans-shipment hub in the Bay of Bengal during the visit.
Sonowal will also be addressing the India-Russia Business Dialogue at the EEF, besides addressing a session on the ‘Eastern Maritime Corridor’.
Eastern Maritime Corridor
The Indian ports and shipping ministry has said that the corridor holds “immense potential to unlock new opportunities for trade and cooperation for both India and Russia”.
The 5,600-nautical mile shipping route is designed to provide seamless maritime connectivity between Russia’s resource-rich Far East region and the southern Indian city of Chennai, a major port at the Bay of Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the shipping route during the Indian leader’s visit to the EEF in September 2019.