A Meeting between Russian Representatives and a FICCI Delegation Took Place at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

On August 18, a delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) met with representatives of the Russian business community under the leadership of Vladimir Padalko, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (CCI of Russia).

In his remarks, Vladimir Padalko noted that trade turnover between Russia and India continues to grow steadily: according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in 2024 it increased by 9.2%. He emphasized that FICCI is a key partner of the CCI of Russia in India, and that regional-level ties are becoming an important component of bilateral cooperation. From January 2024 to July 2025, regional chambers of commerce in Russia held more than 120 events related to India, including six business missions. Among the main directions of cooperation, the Vice President highlighted the shift “from the center to the regions, from raw materials to industrial production, and from contacts to contracts.”

Special attention was given to supporting businesses in resolving commercial disputes. Dmitry Podshibyakin, Director of the CCI of Russia’s Arbitration and Mediation Center, presented the center’s capabilities for providing such services to Indian companies.

Head of the Indian delegation, Rudra Kumar Pandey, Senior Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and Co-Chair of FICCI’s National Committee on Ease of Doing Business, stressed that business interaction should develop not only in New Delhi and Mumbai, but also between Indian states and Russian regions. According to him, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the goal of transforming the country into an international economic powerhouse, and all the necessary conditions have been created for this. He emphasized the reduction of business costs in India and the progressive development of industries such as automotive manufacturing, electronics and semiconductors, renewable energy, food processing, and medical equipment.

Also speaking on behalf of India was Kunal Yadav, Co-Chair of FICCI’s Punjab, Himachal, and Haryana Advisory Council, as well as Chairman and Managing Director of Yadu Corporation.

From the Russian side, the discussion included contributions from Alexander Borisov, Chairman of the CCI of Russia Council for the Development of the Consumer Market; his deputy and Chairman of the Union of Plant-Based Product Manufacturers, Andrey Volkov; Head of the Union of Independent Retail Chains, Ivan Babukhadze; Deputy Chairman of the Higher Mining Council, Sergey Kononenko; Deputy Executive Director of the Association “NP Miners of Russia,” Vladimir Kuragin; Executive Director of the Association “Guild of Jewelers of Russia,” Vladimir Zboynov; and Deputy General Director of the Istok-Audio Group of Companies, Mikhail Klimachev.

Representing the CCI of Russia at the meeting were Elena Medvedeva, Director of the Department for Project and Investment Activities; Dmitry Polokhin, Executive Secretary of the CCI of Russia Committee on Energy Strategy and Fuel and Energy Sector Development; and Igor Vladimirovich Piasetskii, Honorary Representative of the CCI of Russia in India, who actively participated in discussions on key issues of the agenda and the development of Russian-Indian cooperation topics.