The inaugural UAE–Russia Business Forum, a major event on both nations’ economic calendars, opened today in Dubai.
Planned as an annual gathering, the forum is organised by the Russia–UAE Business Council (RUBC) in partnership with the Roscongress Foundation, with support from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and Marathon Investment Group.
The event brings together senior executives from leading companies and investment funds in Russia and the UAE, government representatives, and tech startups. It is held alongside the 12th meeting of the Intergovernmental Russia–UAE Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation.
Bilateral trade has grown significantly in recent years, with joint initiatives spanning manufacturing, transport, logistics, agriculture, digital technologies, healthcare, and investment.
Collaboration is advancing in both established industries and innovative sectors that call for new cooperation models.
The centrepiece of the forum is 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 outline the Council’s strategy and tools to unlock business and economic opportunities between the two countries.
Participants in the plenary session include Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri; Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov; the Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov; Group Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of DP World Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem; board member, head of CIB of VTB Bank Vitaly Sergeychuk; CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding Alexander Zharov; and the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Sergey Katyrin.
The forum will open its panel discussions with “Russia–UAE Innovation Track: A New Era of Technological Partnership.”
Participants will include: Sergey Zakharov, Partner of Marathon Investment Group; Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF); Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of Invest in Sharjah; Nabil Arnous, CCO of Innovation City; Dmitry Markov, CEO of VisionLabs; Alexey Yuzhakov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Promobot; Vyacheslav Kubaev, CEO of Magnit Tech and CIO of Magnit; and Anastasia Stolkova, Member of the Russian Federation Public Chamber Commission on Healthcare, Director, RK-Medicine Foundation.
This session will also introduce the first accelerator programme designed to build a comprehensive growth ecosystem for Russian tech firms and startups in the UAE.
Investment cooperation between strategic investors and specialised funds will be the focus of a session hosted by Investment Majlis, the Strategic Co-Investment Dialogue, which aims to deepen engagement and showcase new project-support instruments. The session will present opportunities and mechanisms for establishing a Russia–UAE investment platform.
The business programme will conclude with a panel discussion titled “Russia and the UAE: Shaping the Ecosystem of Trade and Logistics of the Future,” featuring speakers such as Sergey Sidorov, Deputy General Director, Government, International and Public Relations at PJSC DVMP (FESCO); Ramy Jallad, CEO of RAKEZ; Khalid Al Marzooqi, Vice-President – International Business Development, Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD); Vladislav Bakhtenko, CEO of Grand Trade; Nadeem Sultan, Senior Vice President, Freighters & Cargo Planning, Emirates Airlines; Raj Jit Singh Wallia, CEO&MD, Central Asia, DP World; and Vladislav Shik, Deputy CEO for Managing the Trading Division, JSC Akron Holding.
The panel will explore the development of bilateral export corridors, enhanced logistics routes, diversified trade flows, and the creation of resilient multimodal solutions.
(Inputs from WAM)
