AP and Russia deepen economic partnership at SPIEF 2026

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Reinforcing the growing economic partnership between Andhra Pradesh and the Russian Federation, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT, Electronics and Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh concluded a visit to Russia involving a series of high-level engagements during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026. The visit builds upon the strong foundation established by RUSAL’s investments in an alumina smelter in Andhra Pradesh.

During discussions with senior leadership of RUSAL at SPIEF, both sides reviewed progress on the company’s ongoing investments and explored opportunities to expand into a fully integrated aluminum value chain in the state. At SPIEF, Minister Lokesh highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s vision of becoming a globally competitive manufacturing and technology hub. Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, he emphasized that the shifting centre of global economic growth toward emerging economies presents unprecedented opportunities for regions that combine infrastructure, talent and policy stability.

A major focus of the visit was urban innovation and intelligent mobility. Minister Lokesh held detailed discussions with the Government of Moscow and Transport Minister and Vice Mayor Maksim Liksutov on advanced traffic management systems, AI-powered transit monitoring, integrated command-and-control centres and digital mobility solutions. Andhra Pradesh and Moscow agreed to explore technical cooperation aimed at improving urban mobility, reducing congestion and enhancing road safety through data-driven governance.

 Areas of interest include intelligent surveillance systems, emergency response technologies, digital public infrastructure, citizen service platforms and integrated urban management systems that can support Andhra Pradesh’s rapidly urbanizing cities. Technology cooperation emerged as another key pillar of engagement. Meetings with senior leadership of Sberbank, including discussions at School 21 and SberCity, focused on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, future skills and innovation ecosystems. Andhra Pradesh and Sber explored opportunities for collaboration in AI applications for governance, education, healthcare, financial services and urban management.

The delegation also engaged with leading Russian technology companies, including Yandex, to examine partnerships in artificial intelligence, machine learning, mobility technologies, intelligent transport systems and digital public services. Andhra Pradesh expressed interest in leveraging global best practices to accelerate its vision of becoming India’s leading AI-enabled state. Further strengthening economic ties, Minister Lokesh held discussions with senior leaders of the Republic of Tatarstan, including Minister of Industry and Trade Oleg Korobchenko and Deputy Prime Minister Roman Shaykhutdinov.

Minister Nara Lokesh said that the engagements during SPIEF 2026 have opened new avenues for collaboration in industry, technology, smart cities, mobility, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. Andrey Sobolev, Trade Commissioner, complimented that Andhra Pradesh has emerged as one of India’s most dynamic investment destinations.