Team from Russia’s Chelyabinsk explores Andhra opportunities

VISAKHAPATNAM: A high-level delegation from Chelyabinsk region of Russia visited Andhra Pradesh on Monday to explore opportunities of cooperation. The 50-member team led by Boris Dubrovsky, Governor of Chelyabinsk, expressed interest in heavy industry, agriculture, infrastructure and technology as areas where the two can work together.

Participating in a conference organised by the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, a single-point of contact for investments in Andhra Pradesh, Dubrovsky said India and Russia are natural partners and the two can scale up the volume of trade. “India and Russia will gain in promoting the International North-South Transport Corridor, which would reduce transit time by almost 40% between India and Russia,” he added.

Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Andhra minister for human resource development, urged the Chelyabinsk region to forge partnerships and alliances with the state. J Krishna Kishore, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, said Chelyabinsk can cooperate in manufacturing and industrialisation, “especially in heavy industry, metallurgy and military industry”.

Dubrovsky was accompanied by Alexey Kozlov, minister for IT and telecommunications, Sergey Sushkov, minister of agriculture, and Ruslan Gattarov, deputy governor of Chelyabinsk.