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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks at a meeting of the Business Council under the Foreign Minister, Moscow, September 19, 2025

19 September 2025 12:36
1499-19-09-2025

Colleagues,

I am delighted to welcome you at a regular meeting of the Business Council under the Foreign Minister.

We regularly meet in this format to discuss international issues of interest for Russian businesses and assess the possibility of promoting the interests of Russian companies in foreign markets, including with due regard for the instruments available to our foreign policy service. Providing diplomatic support to our businesses is a key priority set out in the Concept of the Foreign Policy of Russia approved by President Vladimir Putin in 2023.

Today we will discuss issues related to strengthening practical cooperation in Central Asia. Before we get down to our agenda, I would like to say a few words about the issues we regard as most important.

First of all, Russia remains a leading trade and economic partner for Central Asian states. Our aggregate trade with them exceeds $45 billion a year. There are about 24,000 companies with Russian capital working in Central Asia. We are implementing joint projects, increasing the share of settlements in national currencies and improving the transport and logistics infrastructure.

Three is strong interest in Central Asian states for attracting Russian companies to stimulate local business activity. This is also strengthening economic integration in keeping with agreements reached at the level of presidents and heads of government. We see that our partners are interested in increasing Russian participation in infrastructure projects. A vital element of this is the use of resources of the Eurasian Development Bank and the relevant programmes of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

We take into account the fact that a substantial part of the Central Asian countries' material and technical base was created during the Soviet period, when we lived and developed within the framework of a single state. It was a long time ago. That infrastructure has been in operation for a long time, often longer than industry standards allow. In this context, it is logical that the region badly needs modern Russian technologies and equipment. What I mean is that we must become competitive in that market, which is attracting the growing attention of investors from other regions, namely Western and Asian ones. The issue of quality and the ability of promoting one's achievements are becoming especially important here.

I would like to mention a number of stories and living examples of successful cooperation, such as the development of the eastern section of the North-South International Transport Corridor and Rosatom's participation in the shaping of a regional nuclear cluster. Russian companies can also report significant achievements in mineral resource development, the construction of industrial and energy facilities, and the provision of digital services.

Energy, logistics, the mining and processing industries, as well as digital transition are the most promising spheres in terms of return on investment and the practical progress of these industries in Central Asian countries.

The production and processing of critical raw materials, and the creation and implementation of AI technologies is playing a special role in light of current trends, the number of which is increasing in the global economy, science and technology, which we can see in the actions of other countries.

In conclusion of my address, I would like to emphasise that we are meeting on the eve of the second Russia-Central Asia summit scheduled for October. It is to be held in Dushanbe in conjunction with the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The heads of five Central Asian states and Russia plan to discuss the entire range of cooperation issues, including trade, the economy, investments, industry, science and technology. I am confident that the decisions and recommendations we will coordinate and, hopefully, approve today will be instrumental in the context of preparations for the upcoming summit meeting.