(Itar-Tass) - Seaports support more than 40 percent of Russias foreign trade, Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a meeting of the governments Maritime Collegium on Tuesday.
In 2005, 407 million tonnes of cargoes were handled at Russias ports, which is more than three times the figure of 1999, he said, reports Trend.
As a result, the proportion of the adjacent states such as Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland has curtailed in the total volume of the reloading of Russias cargoes from 37 percent to 17 percent last year, Ivanov said.