OREANDA-NEWS. The Council for Rail Transport of CIS States (CRT CIS) will hold a session in the Kazakhstani capital Astana on 17-19 May 2007.

Taking part in the Session will be members of the Council and heads of rail administration of national members from the CIS, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland.

The agenda covers a wide range of problems. Delegates will discuss how the railway administrations of member countries from the CIS, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia apply the conditions for passenger transport, luggage, shuttle trade and freight on the direct Russian-Finnish rail connection when sending transit freight to Finland by the Russian railway network.

The rules of the 46th Session of the CIS Rail Transport Council provide for bilateral meetings between the management of railway administrations to reach agreements on various issues.

Vladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, will be holding bilateral meetings with Yerlan Atamkylov, President of Kazakhstani Railways, Vladimir Zherelo, head of Belarussian Railways and Vladimir Kozak, Managing Director of the Ukrainian State Administration of Rail Transport.

In addition, Vladimir Yakunin and Vladimir Kozak plan to sign a bilateral agreement on mutual cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian Railways.
During the Council session on 17 May , Vladimir Yakunin is also due to meet Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, to discuss rail transport and current issues regarding cooperation between Russian and Kazakhstani railways.

Representatives of the media are invited to attend.