17 June 2026
The forum «Russia — ASEAN» in Kazan hosted a session titled «International Trade, Food Security, and Transport and Logistics Connectivity». The discussion was moderated by Vittoria Idrisova, Rector of the Russian Foreign Trade Academy (RFTA) under the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.
«The potential of our trade and economic cooperation with ASEAN countries significantly exceeds current indicators. Today, we want to discuss what we need to do to get on the right development trajectory», Vittoria Idrisova said while opening the session.
Vladimir Ilyichev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, stated that «over the past 10 years, Russia’s trade turnover with ASEAN countries has increased by 60% and expert forecasts suggest it will continue to grow further. The trade potential, in our view, is even higher now than it was a year or two ago. Given the developments in the Persian Gulf, we understand the need to diversify both the markets where we supply products and the markets from which we receive necessary goods. In the case of ASEAN, we see prospects not only in goods but also in services and technologies».
Regarding the commodity structure, the Deputy Minister highlighted energy resources, liquefied gas, chemicals, and food products, first of all meat products, and grain crops, as well as fertilizers.
Vladimir Ilyichev identified key challenges as resolving financial settlement issues and transitioning to national currencies.
The session participants agreed that trade agreements alone are insufficient for significant development of economic relations between countries.
Datuk Shireen Ann Zahra Mokhithuindin, Deputy Chairman of the Asian International Arbitration Center, called for targeted engagement with the vast and diverse ASEAN market, which comprises 680 million people, rather than merely attracting investments to individual countries.
She emphasized that each country in the region has its own cultural traditions, certification systems, and preferences, particularly in food. The expert noted that another important aspect of doing business in ASEAN countries is the significant influence of personal contacts and the need to build partnerships between entrepreneurs from Russia and the region.
Hanzela Kalista Kusumamenggala, Founder and CEO of Manna Indonesia Group, said that Indonesian companies are interested in cooperating with Russian businesses: «I would like to highlight the creative industries sector. We would like to work with Russia on film production to represent Russian culture in Indonesia and promote our country as a tourism destination».
Ivan Demchenko, Chairman of the Russia-Thailand Business Council, emphasized two pillars of cooperation. The first is technical: the need to focus on mutual recognition of standards and certification. The second is human: «The most important thing we have to develop mutual trade is friendship and trust, which are often lacking in the world. The more we interact and unite, the faster we will achieve interstate goals», Ivan Demchenko said.
Dinh Viet Phuong, First Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of VietJet Air, assured that «Russia and ASEAN states possess significant complementary potential. I am convinced that the next stage of our cooperation should go beyond traditional trade and investment areas. There should be a focus on creating new logistics centers, financial platforms, innovative ecosystems, and digital interaction mechanisms. It is such projects that can form new growth points and ensure long-term competitiveness of our economies».
The session was also attended by Sergey Krupnov, Deputy General Director of IrAero Airlines, and Sergey Sidorov, Deputy General Director for Interaction with Public Authorities and External Relations at FESCO.
The Russia-ASEAN Business Forum is taking place on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN Summit in Kazan. The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
«The potential of our trade and economic cooperation with ASEAN countries significantly exceeds current indicators. Today, we want to discuss what we need to do to get on the right development trajectory», Vittoria Idrisova said while opening the session.
Vladimir Ilyichev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, stated that «over the past 10 years, Russia’s trade turnover with ASEAN countries has increased by 60% and expert forecasts suggest it will continue to grow further. The trade potential, in our view, is even higher now than it was a year or two ago. Given the developments in the Persian Gulf, we understand the need to diversify both the markets where we supply products and the markets from which we receive necessary goods. In the case of ASEAN, we see prospects not only in goods but also in services and technologies».
Regarding the commodity structure, the Deputy Minister highlighted energy resources, liquefied gas, chemicals, and food products, first of all meat products, and grain crops, as well as fertilizers.
Vladimir Ilyichev identified key challenges as resolving financial settlement issues and transitioning to national currencies.
The session participants agreed that trade agreements alone are insufficient for significant development of economic relations between countries.
Datuk Shireen Ann Zahra Mokhithuindin, Deputy Chairman of the Asian International Arbitration Center, called for targeted engagement with the vast and diverse ASEAN market, which comprises 680 million people, rather than merely attracting investments to individual countries.
She emphasized that each country in the region has its own cultural traditions, certification systems, and preferences, particularly in food. The expert noted that another important aspect of doing business in ASEAN countries is the significant influence of personal contacts and the need to build partnerships between entrepreneurs from Russia and the region.
Hanzela Kalista Kusumamenggala, Founder and CEO of Manna Indonesia Group, said that Indonesian companies are interested in cooperating with Russian businesses: «I would like to highlight the creative industries sector. We would like to work with Russia on film production to represent Russian culture in Indonesia and promote our country as a tourism destination».
Ivan Demchenko, Chairman of the Russia-Thailand Business Council, emphasized two pillars of cooperation. The first is technical: the need to focus on mutual recognition of standards and certification. The second is human: «The most important thing we have to develop mutual trade is friendship and trust, which are often lacking in the world. The more we interact and unite, the faster we will achieve interstate goals», Ivan Demchenko said.
Dinh Viet Phuong, First Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of VietJet Air, assured that «Russia and ASEAN states possess significant complementary potential. I am convinced that the next stage of our cooperation should go beyond traditional trade and investment areas. There should be a focus on creating new logistics centers, financial platforms, innovative ecosystems, and digital interaction mechanisms. It is such projects that can form new growth points and ensure long-term competitiveness of our economies».
The session was also attended by Sergey Krupnov, Deputy General Director of IrAero Airlines, and Sergey Sidorov, Deputy General Director for Interaction with Public Authorities and External Relations at FESCO.
The Russia-ASEAN Business Forum is taking place on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN Summit in Kazan. The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
