Vadodara, June 29 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Russian trade representatives, including Zlata Antusheva, Head of Government Relations and Financial Sector at the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in India, as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for Central Gujarat.

The meeting was held during a series of one-to-one engagements on the opening day of the two-day conference in Vadodara, which has brought together international delegations, investors and policymakers to explore new avenues of economic cooperation.

According to officials, the discussions focused on strengthening Gujarat-Russia economic and industrial collaboration across a wide range of sectors, including transport, smart city development, financial systems and industrial partnerships.

The two sides also discussed opportunities for cooperation involving Indian MSMEs and the expansion of INR-based financial transactions to facilitate smoother trade and investment flows.

Sector-specific collaboration with Russian companies such as Archem in specialty chemicals and Eurochem in fertilisers was also part of the deliberations, highlighting potential areas for deeper industrial engagement between the two regions.

The Chief Minister underscored Gujarat’s continued focus on expanding global partnerships through the Vibrant Gujarat platform and reiterated the state’s readiness to work with international partners in emerging and strategic sectors.

Senior state government officials were also present at the meeting, including Chief Secretary Manoj Das, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Mamta Verma, Principal Secretary (Energy) Ashwini Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar, and Additional Principal Secretary Dr Vikrant Pandey.

The bilateral engagement forms part of Gujarat’s broader outreach to international stakeholders during VGRC-Central Gujarat, which aims to promote investment, industrial development and technology partnerships across key sectors such as manufacturing, renewable energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fintech, infrastructure and smart urban development.

Officials said the conference continues to serve as a platform for structured dialogue between global investors and the state government, highlighting Gujarat’s position as a preferred destination for industrial cooperation and long-term economic partnerships.

–IANS

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