Due to the climate and the peculiarities of the economy, Syria through the shipping company will be able to supply Russia with significant volumes of agricultural products year-round. Russia, for its part, will supply industrial products and building materials, what Syria needs now, explains the Crimean political scientist Vladimir Jaralla.
Crimean-Syrian Shipping Company
In Crimea, they announced plans to create a shipping company to ensure regular sea freight with the ports of Syria. As stated by the permanent representative of the republic under the President of Russia Georgy Muradov, the issue will be resolved within the next four to five months.
Muradov called the efficiency of its work the most important issue when creating a joint shipping company.. “Nobody wants to create a loss-making enterprise. So we need to work it all out, what is connected with cargo traffic to Syria and from Syria to Russia – to Crimea directly, make the necessary business calculations, after which we will be able to launch such a company ", – he said in an interview with TASS. However, many issues still need to be resolved before launching a regular line.. for example, Syrian businessmen are concerned about unresolved issues with customs and tariffs, therefore, they propose to discuss these features in detail with Russian colleagues.
“In an amicable way, such a decision should have been made several years ago., but even now the creation of a joint shipping company looks positive. The scale of Crimea and Russia is incommensurable, therefore that production quantity, which is already coming from Syria, the peninsula is unable to digest. The region in this case serves as a gateway to receive products or export it.
Further, Syrian goods will pass through the railway or road communication of the Crimean bridge, entering the mainland and Russian markets. One important detail worth noting – due to the climate and the peculiarities of the economy, Syria can supply the Russian consumer with significant volumes of agricultural products almost all year round ", – explains ABF "Economics today» Vladimir Jaralla.
Variants of Russian and Syrian products
Moreover, due to the fact, that highly industrialized economy is not widespread in Syria, no genetically modified products and goods with a high level of chemicals will not get on Russian shelves. The Syrian side expects to deliver perishable goods along this route. Options with citrus and eggplant supplies are being considered. Representatives of the Tartous province are ready to start supplying olives, olive oil and medicines.
Since the establishment of the joint shipping company, the ports will begin to work more actively in the opposite direction.. According to our interlocutor, Russia is ready to supply industrial products and building materials to Syria through Crimea, contributing to the recovery of the country and its economy. At the last exhibition in Damascus, the Crimean delegation presented other types of products, produced in the Russian region.
Crimea can send electrical goods to Syria, welding equipment, products of the chemical industry and agricultural producers, as well as metallurgical and shipbuilding enterprises of Crimea. Russian supplies can easily close and Syria's grain needs, which have been growing steadily in recent years. Over time, Syria may even become a grain hub of the Russian Federation in the Middle East.
Solving the problem of sanctions
“Trade flows will go in both directions on mutually beneficial terms. The Crimean seaport economy will also benefit, which remains one of the main elements of the economy of the peninsula throughout its history. Crimea ports are intended for large flotillas, and now their download is being restored. The creation of a transport and logistics company will definitely speed up these processes.
In the future, I would like, so that all this will lead to the revival of the shipbuilding industry in Crimea on a full scale, which will require serious energy capacity for factories and the modernization of local enterprises with the involvement of private capital. When will the process of expanding the work of a transport and logistics company begin?, then there will be a question with personnel, therefore, it will be necessary to restore the system of their preparation ", – adds Vladimir Jaralla.
Such cooperation has good prospects for both individual provinces of Syria, and for Crimea, because it represents a clear precedent for economic cooperation under the pressure of sanctions. According to the expert, the problem of sanctions here disappears immediately, because all ships will be Russian home ports and under the Russian flag.
At the first stage, it is planned to form a fleet for a joint Russian-Syrian shipping company partially through lease, and partly through leasing. Dry cargo ships are supposed to be used for transportation, sea-river container ships and service ships.
Andrey Petrov
