The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran confirmed – the alternative to the Suez canal will be

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Лидеры России, Азербайджана и Ирана подтвердили - альтернатива  Суэцкому каналу будет

While our Western politicians are enjoying summer holidays, Vladimir Putin accelerated pace continues to work on the architecture of the post-American world, in which Russia plays the role not only as an energy superpower, but also the main logistics hub of Eurasia. Gradually, in the news, projects and international agreements of the contours of the future where Russia will be the main crossroads of commercial and energy flows from North to South and East to West. Yesterday at the meeting of the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran was another step towards that goal.

The leaders of the three countries discussed and reaffirmed their commitment to ambitious tripartite project, which should become a competitor to the Suez Canal – and this is a very serious request for a change in the geopolitical configuration of the region. We are talking about the so-called “International transport corridor ” North-South”, which provide quick and cheap transportation of goods from the ports of Iran in the Persian Gulf to the ports of Russia on the Baltic sea. At least, this transport corridor will chip away the portion of the flow of goods from India to Europe and back, but if you look to the future, it all becomes much more interesting.

Actually, the “transport corridor” North-South ” is a tool with which Russia will be able to gain access to several markets with huge capacity and solvency – it is the Iran, Pakistan and most importantly India.

Лидеры России, Азербайджана и Ирана подтвердили - альтернатива  Суэцкому каналу будет

At the meeting in Baku was not high-ranking representatives of India, but it’s safe to say that the government of Narendra modi is very interested in this project, which is perfect for its policy of diversification of strategic ties of India with the outside world. Attentive observers of the Russian-Indian relations can easily see a chain that fits the corridor North-South.

Indian companies are actively buying shares in Russian oil fields and the Russian oil, and Rosneft is actively acquiring refining assets in India. For a complete happiness is not enough short and cheap way for the export of Russian oil and petroleum products in India. In the foreseeable future, such a path may appear, that, by the way, not much will please our Saudi competitors, who are accustomed to consider India and South-East Asia as their traditional market. This needs to end.

Emphasize that energy is only one of the bonuses of the project. Cheap access to the markets of India, Pakistan and Iran – this is a major score for us and that’s not counting the obvious profits from transit transportation. Our exporters and producers always complain that the Russian market is not of sufficient capacity that the European market is very difficult to quit due to non-tariff barriers and to compete on price with Chinese manufacturers is impossible. The Kremlin finds an elegant way out of this situation, trying to literally hack our economy “window to the South, to the markets in which we may have the advantage in price and quality.

In India, the same in which Chinese companies often have problems of a political nature due to the glow of the Sino-Indian territorial dispute and other frictions between Beijing and Delhi. This does not mean that Russian companies will have no problems, but it’s a huge chance which you should use.

By the way, the Indians are interested in it. In 2013, the Indian government tried to persuade Iran and Azerbaijan to build a railway connection between the countries that would be allowed to send cargoes from Iranian ports to St. Petersburg, with a view to use this route for trade with the EU in the Suez canal, but then Iran was not able to engage in such projects. And now it’s time to move towards its implementation.

The main feature of the project is that its implementation does not need too much investment. The basic elements of the railway infrastructure already exists in all countries, the question is: complete the missing pieces and upgrade some of the already constructed segments.

If all participants of the project will move quickly, then the corridor can begin to fully operate in 2018 or even the end of 2017. The company RZD Logistika, OOO corridor North-South will cut travel time by 15 days compared with the route through the Suez Canal, and it means that the new route will immediately become popular.

We are witnessing a very important process – the stitching of Eurasia. Continent uniting, but not in the format bonded-colonial globalization, and the format of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation. Civilization, who want to defend their identity and political and economic sovereignty – Russia, China, Iran, India – looking for a way to stitch the continent to ensure that our overseas opponents were unable once again to use his favorite scheme of “divide and conquer”.

At the political level and at the level of joint security in Eurasia will unite the SCO. But at the level of economy, transport and energy projects such as the “New silk Road”, “Northern Sea route” and “Corridor” North-South”, in which Russia, the efforts of Vladimir Putin plays a key role. This explains the madness and not always adequate behavior of our Western opponents.

They can see in their eyes, a new geopolitical reality that their dreams of hegemony has no place, but to do it they can’t anymore, well, except to remove our Paralympic athletes from the Olympics, but that is little consolation.

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