High-level Indian delegation at Eastern Economic Forum to expand presence in resource-rich Russian Far East

New Delhi: India will depute a high-level delegation to the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) to be held in Vladivostok between September 3-6 eyeing to expand its presence in the region that is endowed with natural resources, including fossil fuel, coal and critical minerals among other items.

The Modi government may depute a Cabinet Minister to lead the delegation to the EEF that would also focus on maritime transport corridors.

Following the annual summit in Moscow in July, the two sides are expediting complete implementation of Vladivostok-Chennai Eastern Maritime Corridor and linking it with the resource rich Arctic region. India-Russia also plans a joint shipbuilding project for maritime trade, it has been learnt.


India has plans for a trans-shipment hub in the Bay of Bengal. While Vladivostok-Chennai Eastern Maritime Corridor has started functioning, additional infrastructure need to be put in place in Chennai for handling additional trade volume. In 2023, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal represented India at EEF.

PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin had, at the annual summit, decided to intensify trade and investment cooperation in the Far East and the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.

New Delhi and Moscow have signed a Program of India-Russia cooperation in trade, economic and investment spheres in the Russian Far East for 2024 -2029, as well as of cooperation principles in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The Program of Cooperation will provide the necessary framework for further cooperation between India and the Russian Far East region, especially in the sectors of agriculture, energy, mining, manpower, diamonds, pharmaceuticals and maritime transport.

The joint statement issued after the July 9 annual summit focused considerably on the transport corridors.

“The Sides share approaches on building a new architecture of stable and efficient transport corridors, and pay close attention to the development of promising production and marketing chains in Eurasia, including for the purpose of implementing the idea of a Greater Eurasian space. In this context, the Sides expressed readiness to actively work to expand logistics links with an emphasis on increasing the capacity of infrastructure, including for implementation of the Chennai-Vladivostok (Eastern Maritime) Corridor and the International North-South Transport Corridor, as well as using the potential of the Northern Sea Route,” according to the joint statement.

On the same occasion, the two sides also released another document for strategic economic partnership. “Increase of cargo turnover with India through the launch of new routes of the North-South International Transport Corridor, the Northern Sea Route and the Chennai-Vladivostok Sea Line. Optimisation of customs procedures through the application of intelligent digital systems for barrier-free movement of goods,” read that document.

The two countries support cooperation in developing shipping between Russia and India via the Northern Sea Route. For this purpose, the two sides at the annual summit expressed readiness to establish a joint working body within the IRIGC-TEC for cooperation on the Northern Sea Route.