Meeting with veteran builders and workers of Baikal-Amur Mainline (2024)

Afull-scale construction oftheBaikal-Amur Mainline commenced inApril 1974 with over two million people engagedintheproject. Spanning atotal of4,300 kilometres, therailway traversesthree time zones andsix regions ofRussia: theIrkutsk, Chita, andAmurregions, aswell asBuryatia, Yakutia, andtheKhabarovsk Territory.

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Speeches byPresident ofRussia andPresident ofAzerbaijan atameeting with BAM veteran builders andcurrent staff

President ofRussia Vladimir Putin: Mr Aliyev, friends,

Fifty years ago, theconstruction oftheBaikal-Amur Mainline began. This railway stands asone oftheworld’slargest arteries, atrue path ofthefuture. Formany involved intheinceptionandimplementation ofthis project, theBAM is asymbol ofdreams andromanticaspirations cherished byanentire generation asthey used tosay back then andwe can confirm now.

TheBAM also epitomises theimmenselabour andbravery oftwo million young people from across theSoviet Union.They embarked onaground-breaking project, unparalleled inworld history.

Today we see that theBAM largelyshapes theglobal logistics forthewhole 21^st century. Our countryhas gained atremendous potential forexploring anddeveloping Siberia andtheFar East, forexpanding freight traffic volumes towards thePacific Ocean. Toput it bluntly, thepivot totheeast atthepresent stage was made possibleprecisely thanks totheBaikal-Amur Mainline.

Iextend myheartfeltcongratulations toall theparticipants inour meeting onthelaunch oftheBaikal-Amur Mainline construction. Firstly, Iwould like tospeak about theveterans oftherailway industry, construction sector, andrailway troops. Icongratulate not only you but also your families, loved ones, friends,colleagues, andcomrades who have stood byyou through both challenges andtriumphs. Andnow Iam addressing theveteran builders– you had it allincluding songs bycampfires, yet one thing stands out above all else– your hard,hard work.

Aprofound salute toall who workedalongside you ontheBAM, forthelabour feat you collectively achieved.Through thetrials ofthe1990s, you remained steadfast inyour dedication toyour life’s work, preserving work crews andensuring reliable operation oftheBAM.

Iextend mywarmest regards toallthose who currently reside andwork here, attheBAM, upholding theglorious traditionsofthepioneers andcontributing tothereconstruction, expansion, andmaintenance ofthis vital railway line.

Inrecognition andappreciation ofyour courageousefforts, anExecutive Order has been signed toaward veteran builders andworkersintheconstruction andrailway sectors with high state decorations.

Iam sincerely happytocongratulate President ofAzerbaijan Ilham Aliyev onthe50^th anniversaryofthelaunch oftheBaikal-Amur Railway construction. His father, Heydar Aliyev,asall BAM builders know well, played aspecial, enormous role intheBAM’s history.AsFirst Deputy Chairman oftheUSSR Council ofMinisters, he supervised theBAMconstruction anddid everything he could forimplementing this most complicatedproject.

He had acolossal amountofknowledge andexperience, amanagerial talent, anability toresolve most complicatedproblems that have helped him alongside with his special personal qualities, ofcourse, primarily, acaring andrespectful attitude tothepeople with whom heworked andresolved those huge challenges. He personally visited BAM facilitiesandspoke tobuilders andresidents ofnew cities andtowns. It was easy toapproach him andtell him about one’s problems ortodiscuss current issues.

Iknow that ourmeeting is attended bythose who worked with Heydar Aliyev. Iwould like toaskyou byall means toshare your memories with us, totell us what role he playedinyour life.

Iwould like toaddthat with Heydar Aliyev’s support, Azerbaijani designers andbuilders establishedtwo towns with railway stations– Ulkan andAngoya. Now they are taking part inthereconstruction andmodernisation oftheBAM sections intheKhabarovsk TerritoryandYakutia.

One more area ofRussia-Azerbaijancooperation is relevant tothescale andhistorical significance oftheBAM. Iamreferring tothedevelopment oftheNorth-South transport corridor. It actuallyconnects theNorthern Sea Route with thePersian Gulf or, let’s say, may andshould connect them.

Just astheBAM thatbecame atruly nation-wide construction site andwas called upon toserve theinterests ofall Soviet republics, theNorth-South transport corridor shouldbecome anexample ofbroad international cooperation. Imean thecreation ofnew logistics routes fortheaccelerated socioeconomic development ofthecountriesinEurasia andtheGlobal South.

Iwould like toemphasiseonce again– we invite all interested countries tojoin this project andwe hopethat thebest, time-tested traditions offriendship andmutual support oftheBAMbuilders– people ofmost diverse ethnicities united byacommon goal– will bemuch indemand inthis project.

Forour part, we are ready tooffer our partnersaccess torapidly growing markets ofAsia andthePacific. Forthis purpose, weintend touse new technologies so astofulfil our plans forarapid upgrading oftheBAM andTranssib (Trans-Siberian Railway) andthedevelopment oftheentireEastern Operating Domain.

Implementation ofthese plans is ofvast importance forboth theconsolidation ofconnections withinour country andour political andeconomic sovereignty. It is no coincidence thatprominent politicians andpublic figures advocated forthedevelopment ofroutes totheeastern frontiers ofRussia attheturn ofthe20^thcentury.

Thus, in1908, duringameeting oftheState Council, which atthat time actually served astheupperchamber ofparliament, Pyotr Stolypin defended theproject ofbuilding theAmur railway which made it possibleforTranssib torun completely through theterritory ofour country.

Iam absolutelysure that people like theBAM builders, who are true fighters, can successfullycope with large-scale tasks fordeveloping theEastern Operating Domain. Thisis aspecial community ofpeople with strong character who can achieve thegoals set before them.

Iam sincerely gladthat theBAM community has been created. It brings together all thepeople thatare involved with theBAM– veteran builders, specialists from Russia andother former Sovietrepublics, andforeign states. Importantly, you are reviving andstrengtheningthefriendship among theBAM builders, sharing with therising generation thestories about people’s lives, theglorious history ofthis monumental project,and, ofcourse, helping theveterans.

Support fortheBAMbuilders requires not only public efforts but also concrete actions from thestate. They often lived invery poor conditions, intemporary housing andbarracks. This should not be thecase now, inthecurrent conditions.

Inthis regard, Iwould like toemphasise that theGovernment oftheRussian Federation hasalready approved plans forcomprehensive socioeconomic development ofsuch keyBAM cities asTynda, Severobaikalsk, Neryungri andKomsomolsk-on-Amur.

These plans provideforalarge-scale reconstruction anddevelopment ofthese cities’ transportinfrastructure, utilities, major repairs andtheconstruction ofschools,hospitals, kindergartens, andsports facilities. And, ofcourse, we willcertainly build new, modern housing andingeneral create decent conditions forthose who are now working andliving intheBAM area.

Thank you very muchforyour attention.

Iam pleased togive thefloor toour guest andfriend, President ofAzerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

President ofAzerbaijanIlham Aliyev: Mr President,friends,

First ofall, Iwould like tothank thePresident ofRussia forinviting me totake part intoday’s event. It is agreat honour forme tobe here today with those who built theBaikal-AmurMainline, who dedicated their entire life andyoung years tothis all-Unionconstruction project.

Iwould also like tocongratulate all thebuilders,specialists, andall workers oftheBAM onthe50^th anniversary oflaunching theconstruction oftheBaikal-Amur Mainline.

Mr President mentioned that this constructionproject had brought together all therepublics oftheSoviet Union. This is indeedtrue, andit is not acoincidence that it was called theAll-Union constructionproject. We are very proud that Azerbaijani builders andspecialists actively participatedintheconstruction, asMr President has said, andbuilt two railway stations.

Ofcourse, Iwould like toexpress myspecial gratitudetoMr President forhonouring thememory ofHeydar Aliyev. We recognise that itwas Vladimir Putin andHeydar Aliyev who laid thefoundation ofthefriendlyandneighbourly relations between our countries intheearly 2000s. ThePresident ofRussia visited Azerbaijan in2001, andthis marked thebeginningofalong journey that we are now traveling together.

Today, we discussed theimplementation ofvarious cooperationplans over thepast 24-plus months, aspart ofour allied interaction. ThelegacyofHeydar Aliyev has always played andwill continue toplay animportant roleinour bilateral relations. During his years ofwork inthis building inMoscow, he made tremendous efforts tofacilitate thedevelopment oftheSovietstate andthesphere he was responsible for. One oftheareas was thetransportsector.

We are also grateful totheBAM workers, thebuilders, andall transport workers ofRussia fornaming therailway station intheAngoya settlement after Heydar Aliyev andthus perpetuating his memory. AstheBAM people know well, he came along way– practically onfoot, orbytrain, oronboard ahelicopter– traveling under theharshest conditions fromBratsk toVladivostok andfurther ontoNakhodka, sharing joy andpain with theBAM workers forten days.

Iremember he was impressed onhis return notonly bythescale oftheconstruction project andthepotential oftheSovietstate, but also andprimarily bytheselfless work oftheBAM workers, who werecommitting everyday feats ofvalour andcreating amiracle inaforbiddingenvironment, with permafrost, impenetrable forests, impassable roads, anddailylife risks. They have predetermined thefuture development oftheUSSR andnowthat ofRussia andtheneighbouring countries bycreating aunique specimen ofinfrastructure, which will serve topromote regional andinternationalcooperation forthenext 50 ormore years.

Iwould also like tothank theRussianPresident andour Russian friends forcelebrating Mr Aliyev’s 100^thbirth anniversary. Last year, both Azerbaijan andRussia marked this day withparticular respect. This is our common history, andwe cherish it.

Today, Iam pleased tonote that thecurrentRussian-Azerbaijani relations are based onthis firm foundation: onfriendship,mutual understanding, mutual support, andacommitment toresults. Today, wenot only implement major transport projects– asMr President said, we activelyparticipate inthecreation oftheNorth-South international transport corridor– but also cooperate intheeconomy, politics, energy, culture, andmany otherareas.

AsfortheNorth-South transport corridor, Mr PresidentandIhave once again discussed this issue indetail earlier today. Relevantinstructions have been issued toGovernment members. Iam confident that allissues will be coordinated quite soon andwe will get down toimplementing yetanother grand project.

Imust say that Azerbaijan has arailwaylinking theAzerbaijani-Russian border with theborder between Azerbaijan andIran. But consignors’ needs are compelling us tobuild new stretches ofthisroad so that we can boost freight traffic andthereby take care oftheuniquetransport route leading from theNorth totheIndian Ocean.

Iwant toonce again express gratitude forbeing given anopportunity toparticipate inthis event, congratulate all BAM workersonthis anniversary, andwish thebuilders from Azerbaijan, Russia, andall CIScountries new successes andachievements.

Thank you.