New Delhi [India], September 11: The National Centre RUSSIA has offered to showcase Indian products at its Moscow premises following a visit by India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov to its exhibition at INNOPROM India in New Delhi.
The proposal was outlined by Natalia Virtuozova, Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, during the September 9–11 industrial exhibition at Bharat Mandapam. She said the National Centre wanted to build on its Indian debut by making Russian products available to Indian buyers and giving Indian producers an opportunity to present their goods to Russian audiences.
“For our part, we are ready to provide space at the National Centre RUSSIA, in our very popular department store, to display Indian products,” Virtuozova said at a press conference during the exhibition.
She described the event as a first step, with further discussions needed on how to promote products in each other’s markets. Referring to the popularity of Indian tea, textiles and cotton goods in the Soviet Union, she said exhibitions could help consumers learn more about the products available in both countries.
Goyal and Alikhanov toured the National Centre’s flagship department store project, known as UniverMag, and an accompanying cultural zone. Virtuozova guided the ministers through a display of Russian regional crafts, ranging from crystal and painted clay toys to carpet weaving and lace.
The National Centre reported the ministerial visit in a statement issued on September 10. Its participation in New Delhi marks the first presentation of UniverMag in India, following earlier appearances at INNOPROM Central Asia in Tashkent and the Russia–China Expo in Harbin.
“Russia and India share many years of friendship. Next year marks 80 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries,” Virtuozova said in the statement. “We would like the products of UniverMag RUSSIA to remain available to Indian buyers, and Indian goods to be presented in our space in Moscow.”
The proposal concerns future cooperation rather than an announced retail agreement. Virtuozova said the next step would be to sit down with partners and discuss how to take product promotion forward.
At Bharat Mandapam, the National Centre combined retail displays with live demonstrations by craftswomen from Russia’s Ryazan, Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod regions and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area–Yugra. Visitors could watch traditional techniques, including lace-making, Khokhloma decorative painting and the making of Dymkovo clay toys.
The format placed the production process alongside the finished goods. The cultural zone also featured amber objects, porcelain, lacquer miniatures, painted metal trays and woodcarving, introducing visitors to craft traditions from different Russian regions.
Virtuozova linked the appeal of these products to the combination of traditional skills and modern production.
“It is handmade. It is rooted in Russian traditions. And these production facilities have now been modernised, resulting in products of very high quality,” she said at the press conference.
An early example of visitor interest was a limited-edition nevalyashka, a traditional Russian self-righting doll, created for the exhibition with the Kotovsk toy factory in the Tambov region. Decorated with Indian cultural motifs, it was the first item sold at the New Delhi outlet, according to the National Centre.
By the time of the ministerial visit, Virtuozova said the special edition had almost sold out.
The ‘UniverMag’ pavilion of the National Centre RUSSIA became the most popular and visited space at the entire exhibition, attracting an endless stream of buyers throughout the day, especially reporting interest in Russian chocolate, Tula gingerbread, lace, handmade bags and other craft products.
The exhibition also included a model of the future National Centre RUSSIA building in Moscow. The National Centre was established on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin to preserve the legacy of the Russia International Exhibition and Forum and provide a permanent venue for presenting the country’s achievements.
INNOPROM India is organised by Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. According to the National Centre’s event materials, the exhibition brought together more than 130 companies from the two countries to develop business contacts and joint industrial projects.
For the National Centre RUSSIA, the immediate follow-up is to explore how the interest shown at the exhibition can lead to continuing product exchanges. Virtuozova’s proposal would give Indian goods a platform in Moscow while discussions continue on future access for Russian products in India.
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