Austrian investors are ready to participate in the creation of a multimodal logistics center in Orsha

May 19, Minsk / Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA /. A large Austrian company has expressed its readiness to participate in the implementation of a joint Belarusian-Latvian project to create the "Orsha" international multimodal logistics center at the Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant. This was announced today by the plant's director, Vladimir Troitsky, during negotiations in Minsk with a delegation from the Latvian Ministry of Transport, BELTA correspondent reports. "We have found a real investor from Austria; negotiations have already been held with him, and calculations have been made," said Vladimir Troitsky. In the near future, the Belarusian side expects to receive specific cooperation proposals from potential partners. The director of the Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant noted that the territory where the modern multimodal logistics center is planned to be built has many advantages; it is located at the intersection of transport corridors 2 and 9. The Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant has an airfield capable of handling aircraft of almost all types, and railway tracks are also located nearby. In the future, the new logistics center will be able to handle cargo flows from Warsaw, Tallinn, and other destinations. The project plans include the construction of a modern warehouse terminal, as well as office buildings that will house customs services, a bank, and a leasing company. The project provides for the construction of a hotel and a cafe for aircraft crews and road carriers. In the future, a leisure center may also appear in the logistics center area. The project will require $13 million in investment. It will pay off in about 9 years. The payback period depends on cargo flows: the higher they are, the shorter the payback period will be. Under a favorable scenario, cargo flows will double, and the payback period will be reduced to three years. "By 2015, we will achieve stable revenue that will help recoup the project," said the plant director. The territory for the construction of the new center has already been identified. "We can start construction immediately after the decision is made and the project is approved," said Vladimir Troitsky. "The project has already been calculated and tied to a specific location." The construction of the new center is planned in conjunction with the Latvian firm "Logistik un Partneri". According to the Latvian Minister of Transport, Kaspars Gerhards, this firm has extensive experience in logistics. The minister expressed confidence in the successful implementation of the joint project with Belarus. "We are ready to support it, and we expect support from the Ministry of Transport of Belarus," he stated. "This will give an impetus for more dynamic economic cooperation between the countries." -0-