St Petersberg to hold first Russia-India strategic dialogue

The first Russia-India Strategic Dialogue will take place

in the Russian city of St Petersburg on November 25 and 26, Russia's Roscongress Foundation, said on Tuesday.

Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Vice Chairperson of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) Dr Rajiv Kumar would be the key speakers of the event.

"The first Russia-India Strategic Dialogue will be held in St. Petersburg on November 25-26. The key event of the business program will be a plenary session featuring Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Vice Chairperson of the National Institution for Transforming India Dr Rajiv Kumar," Roscongress said in a statement.

The participants of the conference will attend five roundtables dedicated to agriculture, small- and medium-sized business, transport, industrial cooperation and digital transformation, the event's organizer added.

"Russian-Indian relations are developing extremely fast. An important role in the cooperation of the two countries is attributed to science and technology. Today, projects are being implemented in various areas: metallurgy, energy, defense industry, the development of infrastructure facilities, the digitalization of the economy, pharmacology, and so on ... I am confident that the Strategic Dialogue will provide new opportunities for expanding and strengthening bilateral ties," Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The upcoming event will bring together some key business figures and government officials from Russia and India. The participants are set to discuss the development of trade and investment cooperation, and state support for Russian and Indian businesses, among other issues.

In 2017, India participated in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) for the first time as the guest country. At this year's forum, the Indian delegation was among the largest ones, according to Roscongress. According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, trade between Russia and India amounted to $9.3 billion in 2017, with Russia's exports exceeding $6.4 billion.