OREANDA-NEWS. November 20, 2007. On February 13-15, 2008, the Reval Hotel Latvia in Riga, Latvia, will host the International Regional Rail Business Forum 1520 Strategic Partnership: Baltic Region, the press service of Russian Railways reports. The Forum's purpose is to unite the interests of producers and customers of rail equipment, technology and transportation and of infrastructure services to develop economic ties between countries using the 1520 mm broad-gauge track.

The three days of the programme will include panel and roundtable discussions, a mini-exhibition, press-conferences and an entertaining evening programme. In addition, various agreements are to be signed.

The main issue at the Forum will be the discussion on how to increase competitiveness of the Baltic region's rail routes within the Eurasian transportation system.

The Forum will also discuss the following themes:

- Modern logistics infrastructure in the Baltic region: how to develop competitive multimodal services?
- Investments to develop rail transport in the Baltic region: today and tomorrow.
- Container transport in the Baltic region: increasing freight flows.
- Rail transport and environmental protection in the Baltic region.

The Business Forum Strategic Partnership 1520 is a unique platform for discussion of issues concerning the "1520 Space" and aims to maintain, establish and develop business relationships. The Regional Forum Strategic Partnership 1520 plays an important role in the realisation of the global mission. Such Regional Forums are held as supplementary meetings between annual meetings in Sochi, Russia.

Strategic business dialogue on development is dedicated to four wider regions within the 1520 Space: Central Asia, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and the Baltic region.

The first International Regional Business Forum Strategic Partnership 1520: Central Asia took place in Kazakhstan's Almaty in December 2006, which was highly regarded and gave a strong impetus to relations in the transport sphere in Central Asia.