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On December 4–5, the Russian-Indian Business Forum was held in New Delhi, organized in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation by the Roscongress Foundation, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of India. More than 3,000 representatives of business and official circles from Russia and India took part in the business program events. The key event of the business forum was the meeting of its participants with the leaders of Russia and India — President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who was on a state visit to India, and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
«At the panel sessions and expert discussions held within the framework of the Russian-Indian Business Forum, a wide range of specific issues of economic interaction between Russia and India were discussed. But the main thing is that new business contacts were established at the Forum, negotiations on future commercial deals were started, and promising, mutually beneficial projects were launched. I would like to emphasize and say the most important thing: this Forum, when we conceived, organized and proposed it, was initially conceived precisely to show the multifaceted opportunities of our cooperation. And I want it to be clear: the Russian delegation came not only to talk about energy, not only to place orders and sign contracts for the supply of oil or gas. We want to develop relations, multifaceted relations with India in various directions,» — emphasized in his speech President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
In his speech to the participants of the Russian-Indian Business Forum, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi noted that the basis for any partnership is mutual trust. «The greatest strength in relations between Russia and India is precisely our mutual trust. It is mutual, and it gives impetus to our efforts. It inspires us, gives us wings so that we can realize our aspirations. Our role is not limited to increasing mutual trade. We want to ensure the well-being of all humanity, and for this we need long-term solutions to existing global problems. India is ready to work shoulder to shoulder with Russia on this path,» — said Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
On the first day of the business forum, a strategic session «Sell in Russia: New Horizons for Indian Business» was held, attended by: Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Maxim Oreshkin, President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Vice Chairman of RPG Group Anant Goenka, Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Piyush Goyal, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov, Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India Rajesh Agrawal, Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Oksana Lut, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying of the Government of India Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko, Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Government of India Amit Agrawal, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadayev, Deputy Minister of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India S. Krishnan, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Textiles of the Government of India Neelam Shami Rao. During the discussion, the participants identified key indicators and already achieved results of interaction between the countries, and also outlined ways for further development and strengthening of ties between the states.
Maxim Oreshkin in his welcoming speech to the guests and participants of the business forum emphasized the importance and timeliness of its holding. «The Russian delegation and business have come for Indian goods and services, we want to increase their purchases many times over. This is not a momentary story, but a strategic choice for the development of relations between the third and fourth economies of the world,» he said. — «Today India is one of the key drivers of the global economy. Given the demographic factor and urbanization, India is the leader of global growth for the coming decades, is a significant player in world trade, India has achieved notable results in the scientific and technological spheres,» added Maxim Oreshkin.
The discussions held on the sidelines of the business forum were aimed at expanding the presence of Indian suppliers on the Russian market, deepening industrial cooperation and implementing joint projects, increasing the volume of Russian purchases of food and pharmaceutical products from India, interaction in the field of high technologies, and developing cooperation in attracting labor resources from India to Russia. Special attention was paid to key areas of development of bilateral relations, such as exports, procurement, development of high technologies and others.
«The Russian-Indian Business Forum in New Delhi convincingly showed that the partnership between the countries continues to expand and is based on mutual respect, pragmatism, a common understanding that a multipolar world needs strong, technologically advanced and economically sustainable Russian-Indian cooperation. Russia and India are consistently developing economic projects and increasing the volume of mutual trade turnover. Special emphasis in the business program was placed on joint development, localization of production, creation of sustainable logistics and formation of new transport corridors. I am convinced that in the future we will see the results of the agreements reached at the business forum, which will be measured not only by the growth of mutual trade, but also by the number of joint ventures, scientific research and increased exchange of personnel between the countries,» noted Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov.
Within the framework of the business program of the Russian-Indian Business Forum, six panel discussions were held dedicated to expanding partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation: current issues of attracting qualified personnel and differences in business communication, management approaches and corporate culture; expanding partnership in the field of advanced technologies, as well as promising areas for cooperation in the field of AI and digital technologies; supplies of Indian medicines and medical equipment to the Russian market, localization of production of Indian companies in Russia, joint creation of modern medical-industrial complexes for the production of medicines and medical technologies, as well as promising areas of bilateral economic partnership between the two countries in order to strengthen health.
Special attention within the framework of the business program was paid to current trends in Russian retail and opportunities for Indian manufacturers, the experience of successfully bringing Indian brands to the Russian and Indian markets and the measures that government agencies and development institutions of the two countries can take to support the entry of Indian small and medium-sized enterprises into Russia, as well as the prospects for creating new production corridors and logistics chains, introducing elements of «smart» production, including automation, the Internet of Things, quality control based on artificial intelligence and sustainable production methods.
The agreements reached within the framework of the dialogue were consolidated by a number of cooperation agreements and memoranda aimed at expanding interaction between representatives of business, public organizations and the media of Russia and India, including: a cooperation agreement between the Roscongress Foundation and the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), a cooperation agreement between the Roscongress Foundation and the Confederation of Indian Industry, a cooperation agreement between the Russian news agency TASS and the Press Trust of India (PTI), a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the production of alcoholic beverages between Abrau-Durso PJSC and Indospirit Beverages CJSC, a statement of intent in the field of implementation of an investment project for the construction of a plant for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in the Kaluga region, a general cooperation agreement between SCAD Tech and Omega Elevators, a cooperation memorandum between the All-Russian public organization «Delovaya Rossiya», the All India Association of Industry and the Mumbai International Trade Center, a memorandum of understanding between Prasar Bharati and Gazprom-Media Holding, a memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the Russian Export Center JSC and the National Agency for Investment Promotion of the Republic of India Invest India, a memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the Russian Export Center JSC and the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) and an agreement on the creation of the International Research Center «Laboratory of Big Challenges» between Skoltech and SRM Institute of Science and Technology, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the international media network TV BRICS and the Indian state mass communications operator Prasar Bharati — on establishing information cooperation.
Within the framework of the Russian-Indian Business Forum, B2B meetings were also held aimed at forming new business contacts and establishing direct interaction between participants.
The general sponsor of the Russian-Indian Business Forum was VTB Bank (PJSC), and the general partner was Sber. The partners of the business forum were Rosatom, PSK Pharma LLC, Ingosstrakh Insurance Company and Pharmasyntez Group. The partners of the cultural program were the Government of Moscow and the Department of External Economic and International Relations of Moscow.
The partners from the Indian side are the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
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