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Free port concept for Vladivostok to be finalized before end of 2015 - Deputy PM Trutnev

VLADIVOSTOK, January 28. /TASS/. Vladivostok airport or the entire coastal area of Russia’s Primorsky Krai might be transformed into a free port zone. The final strategy of Vladivostok porto-franco is planned to be developed by the end of 2015, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev said on Wednesday.

"We have a suggestion to convert the entire seaboard of Primorsky Krai into a free port zone. There are several revolutionary ideas, in particular, transferring the customs clearance zone [to another place] and declaring the entire territory of Vladivostok as a zone free of customs charges, if cargoes will be handled within the city boundaries," Trutnev said.

The tools and mechanisms of the free port project would, to a certain extent, be in cooperation with advanced development areas and their tax and customs privileges, while the mission of the free port would be "to create attractive conditions on the territory, so that ships will put in here," Deputy PM added.

The government gives three months for developing the Vladivostok free port strategy, after that it should be reconciled by certain governmental agencies.

"I expect that we will definitely have developed this mechanism by the end of this year," Trutnev said.

Previously, Russian President required to grant Vladivostok a free port status, which was a development of one of the main points of the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on December 4, 2014.

In 11 months of 2014, as much as 14.2 million tons of cargoes passed through Vladivostok seaport, according to Russian Association of Trade Sea Ports. The largest stevedore operating in the port is Vladivostok Trade Sea Port OJSC, a member of the FESCO group owned by Summa group.

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