Andrei Gurev Chairs Inaugural Meeting of the Russian Delegation to the BRICS Business Council

Andrei Gurev, Chairman of the Russian delegation to the BRICS Business Council and President of the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association (RFPA), chaired the inaugural meeting of the Russian delegation to the BRICS Business Council.

Andrei Gurev was appointed head of the Russian delegation to the BRICS Business Council on 29 December 2025 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It is a great honour and responsibility for me. I will do everything I can to champion Russia's national priorities within the Business Council. The bulk of the work — setting cooperation priorities across all national delegations — falls to the nine specialized working groups, which is why today's meeting is so important," said the Chairman of the Russian delegation.

Andrei Gurev also drew the working group chairs' attention to the establishment of a National Committee on Business Cooperation within BRICS. The Committee's core mission is to ensure effective engagement between Russian businesses and government bodies involved in developing cooperation with BRICS countries, both in multilateral and bilateral formats. Its creation will inject new energy into the Business Council's agenda and serve as a one-stop shop for giving Russian business initiatives direct access to the highest levels of government.

"According to the schedule received from our colleagues in New Delhi, the Annual Meeting of the BRICS Business Council, the BRICS Business Forum, and the BRICS Leaders' Summit are all tentatively planned for mid-September. There is much work ahead under the Indian BRICS Presidency," Andrei Gurev concluded.

Lilia Rizvanova, Head of the BRICS Division at the Foreign Policy Planning Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed the vital role of the business community both in advancing the strategic partnership among BRICS members and in supporting each country's national development goals. "The BRICS Business Council is the driving force behind business consolidation and a key platform for dialogue. We hope that the Russian delegation to the BRICS Business Council, under the leadership of Andrei Gurev, will help strengthen business ties between Russia and its partner countries," said Lilia Rizvanova.

Alexei Ivanov, head of the working groups on aviation and industrial cooperation and Deputy Director for International Cooperation at Rostec State Corporation, highlighted Russia's intention to actively engage potential partners from the new BRICS member states — countries with which Rostec already has established working relationships — with the aim of turning that cooperation into tangible results.

Kirill Muzalevsky, head of the working group on infrastructure, transport and logistics and First Deputy Head of the International Projects and Cooperation Department at Russian Railways (RZD), noted that the group's primary objective is to improve logistics connectivity across BRICS member states. The group currently brings together around 200 representatives from relevant companies across all BRICS countries, coordinated by RZD. A key deliverable has been the BRICS Transport Barriers Review — a document mapping six international transport corridors linking the member states and outlining the measures needed to remove existing barriers and accelerate corridor development. Also gaining momentum is the BRICS Transport Academy, an educational initiative launched during Russia's BRICS Presidency in 2024. The Academy focuses on sharing expertise and best practices among industry professionals; to date it has delivered 13 online masterclasses, drawing a combined audience of around 2,500 participants — reflecting genuine appetite for professional dialogue across BRICS.

Alexei Kechko, head of the working group on trade and investment and VEB.RF Representative in India, noted that the group has opened a dialogue with the BRICS business community on an issue critical to Russian exporters — the supply of low-carbon products. This year, the group's focus will expand to cover the full range of "green" goods. Coordinated action within the Russian delegation to the BRICS Business Council will be central to protecting and advancing Russian business interests on the international stage.

Valery Belyakov, head of the working group on financial services and Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), noted that five targeted subgroups on the Russian side are actively advancing a number of initiatives. These include the BRICS Sustainable Development Network, agreed with partners in 2024; the creation of a unified BRICS carbon market infrastructure; an independent body to assess countries' institutional quality as a factor in sovereign credit ratings; the BRICS Pay project, which enables payments in national currencies via local instruments and payment gateways between domestic and international systems; and the formation of BRICS reinsurance capacity in the form of an international intergovernmental financial organization — the BRICS Reinsurance Company (BRICS Re).

Andrei Sapozhnikov, head of the working group on energy, the green economy and climate, noted that India, as the presiding country, continues to honour the spirit of continuity and build on the recommendations and work of previous years. "In 2026, we plan to focus on four areas: low-carbon fuels, circular economy, energy security, and skills development and entrepreneurship. Work on Russian initiatives will continue. The first area covers the development of a BRICS carbon market in line with the roadmap agreed during Brazil's BRICS Presidency in 2025 and incorporated into the BRICS Business Council Annual Report. The second covers the creation of infrastructure for integrating national voluntary BRICS markets to enhance their liquidity and efficiency — also included as a recommendation in the BRICS Business Council Annual Report."

Mikhail Sterkin, head of the Agribusiness working group and Deputy Director General for Sales and Marketing at PhosAgro, highlighted the initiatives that have gained the most traction within the group. Chief among them is the ProAgro Lectorium project, which holds official status as the Business Council's educational platform. Six BRICS+ countries have already contributed to the platform launched by PhosAgro — Russia, China, Brazil, India, Egypt and Ethiopia — with the platform now hosting 170 video lectures. "The joint efforts of our working group members are helping spread knowledge about agricultural innovation and sustainable production, while also supporting technology transfer across the BRICS agricultural sector. We also fully support the initiatives put forward by our colleagues from Brazil and India to establish two Centres of Excellence — the Centre of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition (CEFENP) and the Centre of Excellence for Water Conservation in Agriculture. Looking ahead, we intend to broaden our cooperation in harmonizing and mutually recognizing environmental product labelling and aligning 'green' standards," said Mikhail Sterkin.

Alina Singh, head of the working group on Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation and Deputy Director General of the Agency for the Development of Professional Excellence (WorldSkills Russia), emphasized that human capital and technology development underpin the competitiveness of BRICS nations. "The Business Council has built a systematic approach: from forecasting in-demand technologies and skills to implementing specific joint initiatives. Our immediate goal is to turn agreements reached into permanent, functioning mechanisms. We are actively building integrated platforms — the BRICS Employment Platform and the new BRICS Technology Platform — designed to consolidate efforts into a shared ecosystem for developing talent and technology. These platforms will connect scientists, engineers and businesses in a single network. In practical terms, we are building a seamless labour and ideas market: where a technology developed in one country can be deployed in another, and where an engineer or IT specialist can find opportunities anywhere across BRICS. The annual international championship 'High-Tech: Skills of the Future', held under the auspices of the BRICS Business Council in Yekaterinburg, will serve as the central hub for these processes — the main arena for developing future-ready skills and integrating technological solutions," said Alina Singh.