Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis attended a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Cooperation chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov. During the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar discussed bilateral cooperation. The Governor of the Murmansk Region presented the region's potential and spoke about cooperation with Indian partners.

Thanks to coordinated efforts, mutual trade between Russia and India increased by 8% in the first half of 2026.

"Our goal is not only to increase trade but also to diversify its structure. Along with traditional supplies of fuel and mineral fertilizers from Russia, trade in agricultural products and food, mechanical engineering products, metallurgy, and the forestry industry is expanding. "At the same time, imports from India include pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, industrial raw materials, equipment and components, and light industry goods," Denis Manturov noted.

According to Andrey Chibis, the Murmansk Region's partnership with India is developing dynamically in a number of areas, including trade, logistics, resources, education, and tourism. By the end of 2025, India was among the region's top ten trading partners, and mutual trade turnover had grown by more than 60%. The first quarter of 2026 saw a significant increase—almost fourfold compared to the same period last year.

"Our exports are primarily non-ferrous metallurgy products: high-quality aluminum products (88%) and cobalt matte (6%). We supply electronic devices and equipment from India. A key area of ​​cooperation is logistics, based on the Northern Sea Route and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor—a reliable route that runs outside areas of geopolitical tension. In 2026 alone, 30 vessels carrying goods departed from the port of Murmansk for Indian ports, accounting for 15% of the total number of export voyages. Motor fuel from Indian refineries is also delivered to Murmansk," the governor noted.

International container handling is becoming the port's primary priority. The Murmansk Arctic Route has been launched: on August 19, a Chinese container ship delivered over 500 containers of auto parts to the port of Murmansk for factories in Central Russia. On the return voyage along the Northern Sea Route, the vessel will deliver Russian fertilizers to countries in Southeast Asia.

"Our shared goal with our Indian partners is to increase cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route to 5 million tons by 2030," said Andrey Chibis.

In the mining sector, the Murmansk Region is proposing the creation of full-cycle joint ventures: preliminary negotiations with Indian companies are already underway. The Governor invited Indian colleagues to jointly develop deposits on the Kola Peninsula.

"The implementation of these projects could be accompanied by unique incentives under the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone regime, which applies to the Murmansk Region," the Governor emphasized.

Qualified Indian personnel are being recruited to participate in the region's flagship industrial and infrastructure projects.

Cooperation is also growing in culture, science, and education. For example, 80 Indian medical students are studying at the Murmansk Arctic University, and an additional 50 students will be admitted this fall.

"Tourism is growing rapidly: while only 23 tourists from India visited the region in 2019, by 2025 that number will reach almost 3,000. We have developed a branded route, 'Heart of the Arctic,' specifically for the Indian market." The Murmansk Region is ready to become the Republic of India's main gateway to the Arctic – a reliable logistics, raw materials, human resources, and scientific and educational hub. We are open to a long-term, trusting, and mutually beneficial partnership," emphasized Andrey Chibis.

Photo: Government of Russia

/Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region/