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At the close of every conference a summary statement is signed. Literally all participants at the International Eurasian Transport Conference took part in formulating the Communique. "New East" asked Dmitry Dobrokhotov to describe the work that went into the document. -Work on the Communique was launched at about the same time we began to prepare for this conference. That was just after the conclusion of the 3rd All-European Conference in Helsinki a year ago. The representatives of EEK UN and ESCATO-UN as well as the representatives of the European Commission assisted. We prepared five different versions. The intensity of our work is evidenced by the fact that the final version was only completed by May 7. -Is it too early to talk about this document being approved by the participants of the conference? -Yes. In the speeches we have heard many comments and suggestions covering issues of primary importance. About 10 delegations have submitted their proposals, making the conference more tangible and effective. All of them will be taken into account and included into the final document, which will require some more time to prepare. -What are the specific suggestions that are to be included in the Communique? -First of all I would like to mention the suggestions of the delegations from Poland and Ukraine concerning the necessity to link the Baltic and Black Seas with the 6th Corridor. Also there is an important suggestion from the Russian delegation to link the Baltic and Caspian seas and to extend the 6th Corridor to the Caspian Sea. -The representatives of the European commission made a very important remark concerning further strengthened collaboration in the area of satellite navigation communications. The resolution of this problem is very important today because this network will make possible locating any piece of cargo or means of transportation. Nevertheless, and, despite the fact that there is still a great amount of work ahead, can you think of any major statements of the Declaration that can already be described? As for the Russian side, we are satisfied with the decisions that are to be included into the final version. I am talking about the Forum's recommendations to develop transcontinental transport connections between Europe, Central Asia, and the Far East including the Northern Sea Route, Trans-Siberian railroad, and the routes from Moscow to Novorossiisk and Astrakhan as well as the linking of the Caspian and Black seas via the Volga-Don channel. The specific orientation of our conference as a Eurasian one was reflected in the statement describing the development of the transport connections linking Europe with the Caucasus and Central Asia (TRACECA).
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