In the period from 22 to 24 January 2023 the B20 Inception Meeting business forum was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in which the delegation of the Business Council for Cooperation with India jointly with the Department for external economic and international relations of Moscow, the Government of Moscow participated.
Also the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), which traditionally coordinates the participation of Russian business in the B20 under the chairmanship of the President Alexander Shokhin, formed a Russian delegation that included representatives of PJSC «MMC «Norilsk Nickel», JSC «Kompleksprom», MSK «Boos Lighting Group», the Association of Russian Banks and a number of other organizations.
In the framework of the event a number of business meetings with the representatives of chambers of commerce and industry and business structures were held. Prospects for cooperation in the banking sector and mutual settlements, the oil and gas sector, mutual investments, etc. were discussed during the meetings. The Indian side expressed interest in developing bilateral ties between a large number of Indian regions and Moscow.
The central day of the event – January 23 was held under the auspices of India as a chair country of the G20. The business program included a number of sessions on the theme of combating climate change, redefining global digital collaboration, building sustainable global value chains: promoting inclusiveness and inclusion, and promoting financial inclusion and empowering societies.
Aleksey Bondaruk, the Deputy Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow took part in the session “Rethinking and reviving innovation to ensure inclusive impact” as a speaker. Mr. Bondaruk in his speech noted the main projects implemented under the Smart city & Safe city programs, paying special attention to the infrastructure opportunities provided by the city for entrepreneurs and the formation of “responsible city administration” in the capital. He also emphasized that it is important for Moscow to demonstrate to the B20 community that the city is an advanced metropolis in the world, convenient for living and doing business. In addition, he paid special attention to the infrastructure opportunities provided by the city for entrepreneurs and the formation in the capital of a regime of free, equal and open access to social resources, services and platforms for all residents of the city in accordance with the principle of urban responsible administrating. Alexey Bondaruk also proposed to include in the agenda of the working groups the discussion of the opportunities for exchange of experience between the capitals and largest megacities of the 20-s on all relevant urban topics and invited representatives of foreign delegations to take part in the work of SPIEF 2023.
On the final day of the event (January, 24) the organizers of the event conducted an excursion for delegates to the GIFT City. GIFT City is India’s first smart city built from scratch with state-of-the-art technology, a multifunctional special economic zone and an international financial services center promoted by the Government of Gujarat.
During the visit of representatives of the Moscow delegation to the GIFT City the Indian side demonstrated the investment opportunities of the special economic zone for Moscow business.