The Russia–UAE Business Council has unveiled the programme and main participants for the inaugural UAE–Russia Business Forum, which will be held in Dubai on 10th December.
Strategic partnership discussions will be led by the Russia–UAE Business Council, the forum’s organiser, with support from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Roscongress Foundation, and the Marathon Investment Group.
The event will coincide with the 12th meeting of the Intergovernmental Russia–UAE Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation, also taking place on 10th December in Dubai.
Relations between Russia and the UAE continue to deepen, marked by strong growth in bilateral trade and expanding joint initiatives across manufacturing, transportation, logistics, agriculture, digital technologies, healthcare, and investment. Cooperation is progressing both in established industries and in emerging, innovation-driven sectors that call for new collaborative frameworks.
Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said, “In recent years, the UAE has become one of Russia’s key economic partners in the Middle East. The first UAE–Russia Business Forum is a testament to this as a priority area.”
He added, “In particular, through the work of the Russia–UAE Business Council, we see enormous potential for developing mutual investments and launching joint projects. While the focus is on technological cooperation, we also see enormous potential for Russia-UAE projects across a wide range of economic sectors in both countries, from logistics and trade to support for IT startups.”
Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, stated, “Russia and the UAE are building a solid foundation for long-term cooperation that reflects the interests of both countries in the emerging system of international economic relations. We are seeing improvement in trade and economic indicators, expanding investment activity, and the implementation of new projects in non-resource sectors of the economy.
Dialogue with the UAE is an important element of Russia’s broader engagement with the countries of the Global South, where new centres of economic growth are taking shape. Holding the Business Forum in Dubai will strengthen the practical component of our bilateral cooperation and create conditions for launching new initiatives.”
The forum is expected to gather top companies from both countries, alongside investment funds, tech startups, and logistics operators, to explore strategic partnerships.
The event’s centrepiece will be the plenary session, Architecture of Long-Term Growth: New Opportunities for Both Countries, during which Alexander Vinokurov, Chairman of the Russia–UAE Business Council, will present the Council’s strategy and tools designed to unlock economic and business opportunities between Russia and the UAE.
The session will focus on prospects for economic cooperation and practical mechanisms for project development.
The participants will include Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri; Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov; the Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov; CEO of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office Badr Al-Olama; and CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding Alexander Zharov.
The forum will open with a panel discussion, Russia–UAE Innovation Track: A New Era of Technological Partnership. Participants will include Andrey Shket, Deputy Chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation; Dmitry Markov, CEO of VisionLabs; Paul Dawalibi, CEO of Innovation City, and Vyacheslav Kubaev, CEO of Magnit Tech.
This segment will introduce the first accelerator programme aimed at building a comprehensive growth ecosystem for Russian tech firms and startups in the UAE.
Investment cooperation will be another major focus area. A session titled Strategic Co-Investment Dialogue, hosted by Investment Majlis, will bring together strategic investors and specialised funds to encourage meaningful discussion and unveil new tools to support joint projects.
This session will present initiatives and mechanisms for establishing a Russia–UAE investment platform.
The business agenda will conclude with a panel discussion, Russia and the UAE: Shaping the Ecosystem of Trade and Logistics of the Future, featuring speakers such as Ramy Jallad, CEO of RAKEZ, and Vladislav Bakhtenko, CEO of Grand Trade.
They will address the development of bilateral export corridors and logistics routes, the diversification of trade flows, and the creation of resilient multimodal solutions connecting the two countries.
(Inputs from WAM)
