Minister Lokesh Concludes Russia Visit; Explores Tech, Industrial Partnerships

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh on Monday concluded his visit to Russia after a series of high-level meetings at the SPIEF 2026.The engagements focused on strengthening economic and technological cooperation between Andhra Pradesh and the Russian Federation.

The visit built on the foundation of Russian aluminium giant RUSAL's investments in Andhra Pradesh.

During discussions with the company's leadership, both sides reviewed ongoing projects and explored opportunities to develop an integrated aluminium value chain in the state.

"Russia and India share a longstanding and trusted partnership. Our engagements during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026 have opened new avenues for collaboration in industry, technology, smart cities, mobility, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing," the state IT minister said in a press release.

Talks with RUSAL centred on expanding downstream aluminium manufacturing, with a focus on automotive and aerospace alloys, aluminium foil production, and the development of an integrated aluminium complex covering alumina refining, aluminium production, and value-added manufacturing.

At the forum, Lokesh highlighted Andhra Pradesh's ambition to emerge as a globally competitive manufacturing and technology hub, noting that infrastructure, skilled talent, and policy stability were key drivers of future growth.

He said the shift in global economic growth towards emerging economies presents significant opportunities for regions that combine these strengths.

According to the press release, discussions at the forum also highlighted the growing importance of technology, logistics, artificial intelligence, and skilled workforce development in shaping the next phase of economic growth.

The minister held talks with Moscow Transport Minister and Vice Mayor Maksim Liksutov on advanced traffic management systems, artificial intelligence-powered transit monitoring, integrated command-and-control centres, and digital mobility solutions.

Both sides agreed to explore technical cooperation to improve urban mobility, reduce congestion, and enhance road safety through data-driven governance, the release said.

The Andhra Pradesh delegation met officials of the St Petersburg government to discuss collaboration on safe and smart city initiatives, including intelligent surveillance systems, emergency response technologies, digital public infrastructure, citizen service platforms, and integrated urban management systems.

Technology cooperation formed another major focus of the visit.

Meetings with senior leadership at Sberbank explored collaboration in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, future skills, and innovation ecosystems, including applications in governance, education, healthcare, financial services, and urban management.

The delegation engaged with Russian technology company Yandex on potential partnerships in artificial intelligence, machine learning, mobility technologies, intelligent transport systems, and digital public services, the release said.

Andhra Pradesh expressed interest in leveraging global best practices to accelerate its vision of becoming India's leading artificial intelligence-enabled state, it added.

Lokesh held discussions with leaders of the Republic of Tatarstan, including Industry and Trade Minister Oleg Korobchenko and Deputy Prime Minister Roman Shaykhutdinov, on cooperation in manufacturing, petrochemicals, engineering, information technology, and advanced materials.

Both sides agreed to facilitate the participation of an Andhra Pradesh business delegation at Tatarstan's upcoming investment summit and strengthen business-to-business engagement, institutional partnerships, and investment flows.

They agreed to facilitate regular exchanges between government agencies, industry associations, technology institutions, and educational organisations to promote investment and cooperation opportunities.

The minister's visit included interactions with Russian companies and institutions in sectors such as energy, logistics, transportation, rail manufacturing, advanced materials, nuclear technology, critical minerals, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure, the release said.

Russian Trade Commissioner Andrey Sobolev said the discussions at SPIEF highlighted significant opportunities for expanding cooperation in manufacturing, advanced materials, urban technologies, artificial intelligence, transportation, and industrial development.

He also noted that Andhra Pradesh has emerged as one of India's most dynamic investment destinations, the release added.