The Russia–Türkiye Business Dialogue will take place at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2025. The initiative to organize the dialogue came from the Russian-Turkish Businessmen’s Association (RTIB), which actively promote business cooperation and stronger economic ties between the two countries.
Adviser to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov said: “Russia and Türkiye have been developing far-reaching economic cooperation for many years. The business dialogue at the SPIEF will be an important step towards expanding partnership in key sectors – from industry to tourism. For businesspeople of both countries, this is an opportunity to build direct ties, exchange experience, and jointly look for new areas of growth.”
According to the Turkish side Russia and Türkiye maintained a stable level of bilateral trade in 2024 at USD 52.6 billion. Russian exports amounted to USD 44 billion, while imports from Türkiye totalled USD 8.6 billion. Both sides aim to achieve the ambitious goal of increasing trade turnover to USD 100 billion. The intensification in economic cooperation between the two countries has been complemented by active work by business, industry associations, and interagency consultations.
The RTIB will organize the business dialogue on the Turkish side. Today, the RTIB includes about 100 companies working on the Russian market. RTIB members have invested more than USD 12 billion in the Russian economy. These include projects in construction, food production, the automotive industry, banking, and other sectors.
Turkish Ambassador to Russia Tanju Bilgiç commented: “The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is a unique platform for stepping up our economic cooperation. Holding a special session at the SPIEF will further encourage interaction between business communities and will be an important step towards achieving the common goal of increasing the mutual trade volume to USD 100 billion. Turkish business is working stably on the Russian market and is interested in expanding its opportunities.”
The business dialogue will serve as a logical continuation of the successful SPIEF offsite sessions that have recently been held in Türkiye. These events not only help to strengthen business relations, but also to develop sustainable partnerships and create additional prospects for economic growth and mutual prosperity.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place on 18–21 June 2025.