Russian Businesses Explore Trade, Investment Opportunities in India
The World Trade Centre (WTC), Mumbai, in collaboration with the All India Association of Industries (AIAI), organised an interactive roundtable meeting with a high-level business delegation from the Russian Federation to explore new avenues for bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, and technology partnerships.
The engagement brought together more than 150 Indian business participants and members of the Russian delegation for structured B2B meetings, aimed at identifying collaboration opportunities across sectors and facilitating market entry for Russian enterprises in India.
Addressing the gathering, Ms. Malahova Irina, Lead Specialist, South Export Support Centre, Russia, said,
“India and Russia have time-tested economic and trade partnership. Our main objective today here is to strengthen this partnership further and facilitate Russian businesses to enter the Indian markets. As an export promotion chamber, we are here to connect businesses thereby creating a fruitful bilateral relation between Crimea and India”.
She further stated,
“Russia remains a premier source of quality products like wine, distilleries, spirits and mineral water. With our ties hitherto being limited to energy, defence and capital goods, we wish to see expansion of our trade baskets to further strengthen our bilateral ties”.
Highlighting the strategic depth of bilateral relations, Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, World Trade Centre, Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries, said,
“India and Russia share a strategic bilateral relationship which has remained unhindered over the years. This partnership was recently reinforced with the state visit of President Putin in the last week. In recent years, our bilateral trade has increased exponentially. With the reliance on rupee-ruble trade mechanism, investments of Russian companies in Indian capital markets, sharing of critical nuclear and defence technology and Joint Ventures, I am confident that our bilateral trade will reach 100 billion dollars by 2027. However, this expansion of trade also resulted in widening the trade deficit which India has with Russia. With a partnership based on mutual trust and ambition of growth, and ties which remain unaffected by geopolitical actions like tariffs, I am sure in the coming years we will bridge this trade imbalance.”
Welcoming increased investment engagement, Dr. Kalantri further said,
“India with its 1.4 billion population offers a huge consumer base for global partners to invest and scale in India. There exist tremendous opportunities for businesses to engage in investments and joint ventures. The state of Maharashtra has a favourable policy for investors and local manufacturing. The expanding trade is evident from newer sectors like spirits, tourism and coolants coming to India for trade”.
Proposing the vote of thanks, Ms. Priya Pansare, Director – Trade and Investment Promotion, World Trade Centre, Mumbai, said,
“India and Russia share a partnership that is historic, strategic, and forward-looking. Built on deep trust and mutual respect, this relationship has evolved into a strong economic alliance, with bilateral trade exceeding USD 68 billion annually. Today's interaction is therefore more than a meeting, it is a platform to connect, collaborate and convert strong bilateral intent into concrete outcomes”.
During the interaction, visiting Russian delegates shared insights into investment-friendly policies and business opportunities across their respective regions. They expressed strong interest in partnering with Indian companies for joint ventures, technology transfer initiatives, and expansion into the Indian market. Discussions also addressed key operational aspects, including smoother financial transactions, logistics connectivity, and enhanced market access.