St Petersburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Tanzania as a strategic gateway linking East Africa to global markets.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 5, President Putin said Tanzania occupies a position in East Africa comparable to that of Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
The Asian country serves as an important bridge between regional economies and major international trade routes.
"Tanzania plays a similar role in East Africa," Putin said while discussing countries whose geographic location and economic connections enable them to link different regions of the world.
He said countries that successfully combine domestic development with strong ties to emerging centres of global growth are becoming increasingly important as the world economy undergoes significant changes.
President Putin also pointed to what he described as a transformation in the global trading system, arguing that international commerce is increasingly shifting away from the principles on which the World Trade Organization (WTO) was originally founded.
His remarks come as Tanzania continues to invest heavily in strategic infrastructure, including ports, railways and regional transport corridors aimed at strengthening its role as a trade and logistics hub for East and Central Africa.
During the oast few years, Tanzania has accelerated implementation of major infrastructure projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway, expansion of the Dar es Salaam Port and development of new trade corridors connecting neighbouring landlocked countries to international markets.
The country's location on the Indian Ocean and its extensive transport links with countries such as Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have positioned it as a key gateway for regional trade.
