The Russian city of Ulyanovsk has started transit of NATO cargo using road, air and rail transport. No foreign military will be involved in transit or cargo security. NATO will not transport explosives or other hazardous goods, Newsland.ru reports.
The press secretary of the governor of the Ulyanovsk Region, Dmitry Shikov, confirmed negotiations on the formation of NATO’s transit facility, RIA Novosti reports.
Army General Nikolai Makarov, Russian Chief of the General Staff, said in mid-February that negotiations on transit were being held. Cargo would be delivered to Afghanistan by air from Ulyanovsk.
Governor Sergey Morozov said that negotiations were held in Moscow in autumn 2011.
The transit facility would provide jobs for graduates of the Ulyanovsk Higher Civil Aviation School and stimulate the local airport. Dozens of planes will visit the airport daily. It is work for Volga Dnepr, Morozov adds.
Ulyanovsk Customs Chief Valery Gerasev said that transit of each container would cost $5,000-6,000. Europe transits thousands of containers, making the airport busy for years ahead.
Unloading takes place at 60 railway platforms every month. Cargo will arrive in Ulyanovsk by plane, then it will be taken to Riga and Tallinn through Russia to ships.
The head of the parliamentary committee for defense, Vladimir Komoyedov, said that customs officers will inspect all cargo. He reminded that refusal to fulfil UN Security Council resolution 1386, passed in 2001, would be a major blow to Russia's reputation as a reliable partner.
