President Vladimir Putin noted the ferry link’s importance not just for the region but for the entire country, in terms of national and transport security and new opportunities for cooperation with Lithuania, Germany and Belarus.
The President said he hoped that plans to extend the ferry link to Germany would be carried out.
The Russian northwest region’s transport infrastructure, and particularly that of Kaliningrad Region, is hugely important because it serves as the advance post for Russia’s contacts with its European neighbours, Mr Putin said.