The delegation attended the 30th edition of the forum, held from October 22 to 24, with support from the Russia-UAE Business Council and coordination with the UAE Embassy in Moscow. The council arranged meetings between Emirati representatives and Russian businesses interested in developing commercial relationships.
Participants from the UAE included the Free Zones Authority of Ajman and EDGE Group. Details of individual meetings, prospective investments and any agreements were not disclosed in the information released about the visit.
Al Gergawi said the participation reflected growing interest among UAE businesses in establishing broader commercial links with Russian counterparts, extending beyond conventional trade into investment, technology and industrial projects.
“Today, opportunities for cooperation extend far beyond traditional trade and encompass investment, technology, industrial cooperation and the development of new joint projects,” he said.
He emphasised that direct discussions between companies could improve their understanding of each other’s capabilities and provide a basis for longer-term business relationships.
Alexander Shokhin, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, welcomed the delegation’s attendance and said the involvement of international businesses created opportunities for direct engagement between companies.
“We expect that these meetings will become the beginning of new business ties and specific projects,” Shokhin said, referring to the contacts facilitated by the Russia-UAE Business Council.
The business council said it would continue supporting contacts established during the visit and assisting companies in identifying prospective partners. Its role includes facilitating international trade, helping Russian businesses access overseas markets and encouraging investment from the UAE into Russia.
The council’s involvement was intended to connect companies with complementary interests through arranged meetings, rather than relying solely on exchanges at the exhibition. No timetable for follow-up negotiations or proposed ventures was announced.
The forum took place at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing together industrial enterprises, government representatives, technology businesses, financial institutions and research organisations. Its programme addressed industrial development, technological capabilities, international cooperation and access to export markets.
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the St Petersburg government were among the organisers. The event was supported by the Russian government and included business discussions alongside an exhibition of industrial technologies and equipment.
The programme featured sessions on digitalisation, technology transfer, industrial construction and international business cooperation. These subjects provided a broader setting for the delegation’s meetings, although organisers did not identify which individual sessions were attended by each Emirati participant.
A BRICS+ business forum was also staged alongside the Russian Industrialist exhibition, with discussions covering industrial clusters, advanced technologies, transport corridors and cooperation between businesses operating in different markets. The programme included a focus on connecting companies through projects and commercial negotiations.
For UAE companies, the visit offered access to Russian industrial representatives, while Russian participants could explore relationships with investors and technology businesses from the Emirates. The organisers presented the meetings as an initial opportunity for dialogue, without announcing transactions or investment commitments.
The Russia-UAE Business Council works with businesses across several sectors, including energy, transport, tourism, aviation manufacturing, finance, information technology and retail. It provides assistance with business introductions, project development and access to potential sources of capital.
The council said its subsequent work would focus on maintaining direct communication between companies and helping identify possible partners for projects arising from the St Petersburg meetings. The delegation’s visit was coordinated with the UAE diplomatic mission in Moscow.
The exhibition’s industrial programme included machinery, automation, robotics, electrical engineering, communications technologies and equipment used in manufacturing. Organisers also scheduled discussions on industrial workforce requirements and opportunities for smaller enterprises to participate in production networks.
The forum’s international cooperation programme addressed commercial links with markets beyond Russia. It brought business representatives together with officials responsible for industrial policy and organisations involved in technology development. The discussions formed part of a wider programme examining export opportunities and cross-border industrial cooperation.
The Ajman authority’s participation placed free-zone development among the areas represented by the UAE delegation, while EDGE Group’s presence brought an advanced technology company into the business discussions. Neither organisation announced a specific deal in the account of the visit.
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