On January 30, 2024, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) hosted a conference of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Synergy Foundation (Bangalore, India) “Russia — India Relations in Broader Geopolitical Context: Aspects of Bilateral Cooperation”. Creon Group became a partner of the event.
Vladimir Platonov, President of MCCI, Ivan Timofeev, Director General of RIAC, and Tobby Simon, President of the Synergy Foundation, welcomed the participants. The parties expressed confidence in the need to maintain a dialog between the academic community and practitioners, as well as between specialists in international relations and economists.
On January 30, 2024, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) hosted a conference of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Synergy Foundation (Bangalore, India) “Russia — India Relations in Broader Geopolitical Context: Aspects of Bilateral Cooperation”. Creon Group became a partner of the event.
Vladimir Platonov, President of MCCI, Ivan Timofeev, Director General of RIAC, and Tobby Simon, President of the Synergy Foundation, welcomed the participants. The parties expressed confidence in the need to maintain a dialog between the academic community and practitioners, as well as between specialists in international relations and economists.
During the first session of the conference “Russia – India Partnership: the Vision of Strategic Interaction”, speakers discussed contemporary geopolitical realities and their impact on the foreign policy of Russia and India, as well as the specifics of their bilateral interaction. Among other things, the session was aimed at creating a list of international political obstacles that prevent Moscow and New Delhi from deepening their partnership in order to find joint solutions.
Speaking about new global trends, RIAC Academic Director Andrei Kortunov noted the importance of the Indo-Pacific concept for the development of cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi, emphasizing that India's vision of this concept is unique and different from the American one, which is sometimes forgotten in Russia. Ajay Sah, Chief Information Officer of Synergia Foundation, confirmed that despite great external pressure, India seeks to develop cooperation with Russia and refuses to join Western sanctions, assuring the Russian side of New Delhi's resilience in the face of global challenges. G A V Reddy, Strategic Advisor of Synergia Foundation, added that India welcomes the idea of a multipolar world and hopes that Russian-Indian cooperation will be an important part of it. At the same time, according to Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs Journal and member of the RIAC Presidium, the countries should be prepared for the fact that partnerships are no longer exclusive. Indo-American interaction, as well as Russian-Chinese cooperation, should not be perceived as an obstacle to practical bilateral partnership.
During the second session “Economic Dimension of Bilateral Relations. Reassessing Current Achievements”, the participants analyzed economic cooperation between Russia and India in the current conditions, key challenges in bilateral trade, and promising areas for expanding interaction between Moscow and New Delhi.
Vladislav Mishchenko, Advisor to Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry President on International Activities, spoke about the Chamber's achievements in establishing contacts between businesses of the two countries. Artem Batalov, Head of Corporate Clients Department of Sberbank of Russia India Branch, shared the experience in implementing transactions system in national currencies, prompting a lively response from the audience. G A V Reddy confirmed that the rubles–rupees imbalance remains one of the main problems, as well as the destruction of logistics chains and the predominance of military and energy products in imports.
Lidia Kulik, Head of India Studies Section of SKOLKOVO Institute of Emerging Market Studies, Research Fellow of Centre for Indian Studies of RAS Institute of Oriental Studies, said that imbalance and low diversification of Russian exports to India remain a key drawback of bilateral trade, but the governments and business communities of the two countries are gradually addressing the existing problems. Tobby Simon expressed the view that in order to develop the two countries and strengthen bilateral relations in the long term, Russia and India should focus on cooperation in education and high technology spheres.
During the third session of the conference “Russia – India Cooperation in Energy Sector and Ways to Bolster its Potential” the participants spoke about the future of hydrocarbon trade, the role of alternative energy in the development of relations between Moscow and New Delhi, the implementation of joint green projects and the global green transition.
Igor Yurgens, Deputy Director of International Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy of MGIMO University, noted that in order to develop cooperation in the field of green energy, Moscow and New Delhi need to work both on bilateral and multilateral levels, and expressed the opinion that BRICS could become a platform for the application of its main instruments. Ajay Sah in his speech pointed out India's significant successes on the path to green transition. However, G A V Reddy said that cooperation between Russia and India in the field of green energy is currently limited, and the governments and entrepreneurs of both countries need to make significant efforts to develop it. Vladimir Likhachev, Deputy Head of Institute of Economics and Utility Regulation of Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Development Research of Higher School of Economics, said that in order to successfully develop Russian-Indian energy cooperation, Russia should use the experience that the country had a few years ago in its interaction in this area with Europe.
The sessions were moderated by Tobby Simon, President of the Synergy Foundation, Ivan Danilin, Head of Department of Science and Innovation of Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of RAS, and Iqbal Guliyev, Deputy Director of International Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy of MGIMO University, respectively.
