The main topic of the meeting with the Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, was the use of the Northern Sea Route for a reliable and safe transportation of goods. The potential of the Northern Sea Route as well as the dynamics of its development were presented by Rosatom’s Special Representative for the Development of the Arctic, Vladimir Panov.

Discussions were held to create an alternative route for shipping cargo from India to Europe – not via the southern or western routes, but via the eastern route, through the NSR, using both Russian and Indian port capacities. It was specifically noted that the cost of shipping a container from Vladivostok to India is one-third lower than the cost of shipping a container from Moscow. Promising areas for cooperation include creating a Russian-Indian Trans-Arctic container line, building processing facilities along the NSR, and expanding the fleet, including using the state support mechanisms in place in the Arctic.

At a meeting with Dammu Ravi, the Secretary for Economic Relations of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, social issues were discussed, in addition to other topics. The Indian side was particularly interested in a proposal to set up specialized Russian-Indian educational programs and a student campus in the Far East, with the main focus on medicine, IT, and engineering specialties.

Following the bilateral meeting, proposals will be drawn up to develop direct air communication between the two countries - to stimulate mutual tourist traffic, which today does not match its real potential. The Indian side showed interest in projects to build a satellite city of Vladivostok, ports, roads and energy infrastructure.

“In India, we have seen a sincere, genuine interest in Russia, which is based on the long history of friendship between our countries. We are ready to continue the dialogue with the Indian side, with the main aim of launching specific projects. We will hold a new round of talks in April in Moscow at a venue of the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation,” said Alexei Chekunkov.