Dubai to host first UAE-Russia Business Forum on December 10

Dubai will host the inaugural UAE-Russia Business Forum on December 10, a gathering aimed at deepening economic ties between the two countries as their bilateral trade and investment links continue to grow.

The event is being organized by the Russia-UAE Business Council with support from Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Roscongress Foundation and Marathon Investment Group. It will run alongside the 12th meeting of the Intergovernmental Russia–UAE Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation, also scheduled for the same day.

According to WAM, the forum comes at a time of expanding collaboration between Moscow and Abu Dhabi across manufacturing, transport, logistics, agriculture, digital technologies, healthcare and investment. Officials say cooperation is broadening both in established industries and in emerging sectors that require new joint frameworks.

Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said the UAE had become one of Moscow’s most important economic partners in the Middle East. “The first UAE–Russia Business Forum underscores the priority we place on this partnership,” he said, adding that both sides see significant scope to increase investment and launch new ventures, particularly in technology.

Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to the Russian president, said the two countries were laying “a durable foundation for long-term cooperation” as global economic dynamics shift. He said Dubai’s hosting of the forum would help accelerate practical collaboration and support the development of new initiatives in non-resource sectors.

The program will bring together major Russian and Emirati companies, investment funds, tech firms and logistics operators. A central plenary session, Architecture of Long-Term Growth: New Opportunities for Both Countries, will feature Alexander Vinokurov, chairman of the Russia-UAE Business Council, presenting the group’s strategy for unlocking economic potential on both sides.

Senior participants will include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Abu Dhabi Investment Office CEO Badr Al-Olama and Gazprom-Media Holding CEO Alexander Zharov.

The forum will open with a panel on technological cooperation titled Russia–UAE Innovation Track: A New Era of Partnership, featuring leaders from Skolkovo Foundation, VisionLabs, Innovation City and Magnit Tech. The session will launch an accelerator designed to help Russian tech firms scale in the UAE.

Investment cooperation will feature prominently through a dedicated Strategic Co-Investment Dialogue hosted by Investment Majlis, which will outline new tools and platforms for joint ventures, including plans for a Russia–UAE investment mechanism.

The day will conclude with a session on the future of bilateral trade and logistics, with speakers including RAKEZ CEO Ramy Jallad and Grand Trade CEO Vladislav Bakhtenko. Discussions will cover export corridors, diversified trade routes and long-term multimodal transport solutions between the two countries.