The results of the first International Transport and Logistics Forum have been summed up

The first International Transport and Logistics Forum, which took place from April 1-3 at the Expoforum Exhibition Center, has completed its work in St. Petersburg. The event was held as part of the fulfillment of the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation to ensure the global competitiveness of Russia's transport corridors, including the implementation of decrees within the framework of national goals until 2030 and for the future until 2036. The organizer is the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the operator is the Roscongress Foundation, with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The Forum has become a unique platform for international dialogue on the creation of a competitive seamless logistics space in Greater Eurasia with integration into the transport corridors of the continent of Africa and Latin America.

"More and more states and companies are thinking not only about the speed and cost of transportation: the safety and stability of transport routes and logistics chains, which are less susceptible to crises, military conflicts and other external risks, is becoming a crucial factor. Russia can offer such solutions to the world and play an important role in shaping a new architecture for global logistics and international trade in general. For our partners, Russian logistics routes can be beneficial both economically due to shorter transportation times and from the point of view of diversifying global transport flows," Vladimir Putin emphasized in a video greeting to the participants, guests and organizers of the Forum.

In his speech, the Head of state noted that transport and logistics issues are key to the global economy in modern conditions, and these areas are currently undergoing profound changes and facing serious geopolitical challenges.

Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, also sent greetings to the participants and organizers. In his greeting, he emphasized the symbolism of holding the MTLF in St. Petersburg, a city that has historically been one of the most important transport hubs. "Due to its unique geopolitical position, Russia has significant transit potential. Today, in the context of the transformation of the global economy and the formation of a new architecture, our country is developing stable logistics links and secure international transport corridors. This makes it possible to increase the connectivity of territories, increase exports, strengthen technological and industrial sovereignty, and expand transportation in Eurasia in close coordination with friendly states, partners in the EAEU, CIS, SCO, and BRICS," Mikhail Mishustin said.

The main strategic outcome of the forum is that international transport corridors have finally become the basis of a new geo–economic configuration of Eurasia. The North-South, North-East corridors, the Transarctic Transport Corridor, the BAM, the Transsib, the Russia–Mongolia–China land routes and the CIS infrastructure were no longer discussed as separate projects, but as a single continental system for the movement of goods, capital and industrial cooperation.

"Russia has managed to establish a productive international dialogue on key areas of development of the transport system. It is safe to say that transport workers are the unifying force of international development. In 2026, transport became a strategic tool for geo-economic sustainability and the new architecture of Greater Eurasia. The North–South international corridors, the Transarctic Transport Corridor (NSR) and the CIS multimodal chains are coming to the fore in the development of international trade, and seamless digital platforms are reducing border crossing time and radically increasing throughput. The decisions of this Forum will contribute to the creation of competitive routes on the continent, integrating national routes into a single transport system, attracting new partners," said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the MTLF Organizing Committee.

The Forum focuses on the Russian–Chinese logistics arm as the main driver of international transportation growth. The Forum documented the transition from the logic of individual export destinations to the formation of a sustainable joint transport framework with digital transitions, multimodal solutions and shorter delivery times.

The business program focused on three interrelated contours of the transport system development: the sustainability of industry logistics, the formation of a new Eurasian connectivity, and the large-scale digital transformation of transport.

The MTLF program includes more than 50 events attended by over 350 speakers.

The business agenda consisted of three main thematic blocks: "Logistics and Transport industries", "Global connectivity and transport corridors", "Digitalization and the future of transport".

The key discussions of the Forum were the plenary sessions "Global Transport Corridors: integration and seamless logistics" and "Development through access to global markets", the plenary session "Transport connectivity as the basis of a new world order: from global competition to universal security". In addition, the prospects for international cooperation and the transformation of transport education were discussed at the discussions of the International Seminar on Transport Education. Other important events include a round table discussion on the development of the national high–speed highway network and international cooperation in this area.

The role of science and artificial intelligence in shaping a sustainable transport system and creating smart cities was discussed at the panel session "New Mobility: how technology is changing the world."

The central event of the Forum was the plenary session "Transport connectivity as the foundation of a new world order: from global competition to universal security."

The plenary session was opened by Vitaly Saveliev, who recalled the ambitious tasks set by the President of Russia to the Government. One of them is the development of international transport corridors passing through the territory of Russia. Special attention is paid to the areas that open up access to the markets of South Asia, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

On the eve of the opening of the MTLF, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took part in a video link at the opening of transport facilities in the Rostov and Amur regions, as well as the launch of unmanned trucks along the M-12 Vostok highway and the ceremony of the start of construction of 2-4 stages of the Latitudinal Highway in St. Petersburg. The event was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev and Minister of Transport Andrey Nikitin.

The grand opening of a new airport complex at Sukhum International Airport (Republic of Abkhazia) also took place at the site of the International Transport Forum. The launch ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev and Minister of Transport Andrey Nikitin.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev, Head of the Ministry of Transport Andrei Nikitin, CEO of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov and Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Alexei Lyakhnovich launched the first electric trains on the routes Smolensk – Orsha and Smolensk – Vitebsk (Republic of Belarus).

The Forum was attended by more than 6,000 people from 82 countries, including 14 unfriendly ones: Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Estonia, Japan. 17 foreign ministers took part in the Forum.:

The venue was visited by 24 heads of the diplomatic corps. Among the participants there are over 2,700 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from more than 1,250 companies, including almost 450 companies from the field of transport and logistics.

40 agreements were signed during the International Transport and Logistics Forum.

The central event of the cultural program was a reception, during which the pre-central event of the cultural program will be a special screening of the legendary ballet "Swan Lake" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky at the Mariinsky Theater. This production, choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, remains the jewel of the world ballet repertoire.