Fifteen cooperation agreements were signed at the SEZ forum in Nizhny Novgorod.

      19 September 2025 18:09

      [382]

      Economy

      More than 1,300 participants gathered in Nizhny Novgorod for the III International SEZ-2025 Forum, held on September 18. This was reported by the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation.

      About 600 representatives of Russia's special economic zones, federal and regional authorities, and business associations from regions of the country and more than 10 foreign states participated in person. About 700 more people joined the online broadcast.

      During four panel sessions held throughout the day, participants discussed the regulatory framework of preferential territories and ways to optimize it, business models and innovative SEZ infrastructure, low-carbon development of industrial sites, as well as international cooperation in the special economic zone format.

      Russia's Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Svyatoslav Sorokin, reported on upcoming adjustments to the rules: territories will be able to expand in response to requests from large investors, and more flexible investment requirements are being introduced for residents.

      “We strive to make the rules more predictable and flexible. For large investors it is important that a site be available immediately, and for management companies that infrastructure can be connected without unnecessary bureaucracy. The new rules take both of these requests into account,” he noted.

      At the plenary session they spoke about the development of the SEZ institution, prospects for its improvement and guidelines for integration into the international economic space. Participants in the discussion included Deputy Minister of Economic Development Svyatoslav Sorokin, Deputy Director of the Secretariat of the China Center for Cooperation in SEZs of BRICS Countries Fan Yuchjin, Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Andrey Sanosyan, Technical Director of the SEZ Management Company "Sind" (Pakistan) Farid Ahmed Sheikh, State Duma deputy and member of the Committee on International Affairs Maria Butina, and CEO of the ANO "Public Capital" Asiyat Bagatyrova.

      Andrey Sanosyan emphasized that SEZs are not only tax preferences and ready-made infrastructure but also client-oriented teams ready to promptly assist investors. He singled out the importance of digital services for business convenience and speed of decisions, and called production automation the optimal response to the labor shortage.

      Maria Butina noted that SEZs open new opportunities for international business ties, and that using their potential as a tool for customs simplification is only gaining momentum.

      On the prospects for cooperation in the BRICS format, Fan Yuchjin, Deputy Director of the Secretariat of the China Center for Cooperation in SEZs of BRICS Countries, spoke. She emphasized the importance of digital solutions to simplify interaction with investors and welcomed the implementation in Russia of the Single Window platform “Single Window for Investor Support.”

      According to Mikhail Labudin, Director of the Association of Clusters, Technoparks and SEZs of Russia, over two decades the special economic zone mechanism has proven itself as one of the most effective tools for attracting investment and territorial development. “Today we see that Russia is becoming part of global cooperation in this area, and interest from international partners is only growing,” he emphasized.

      Within the framework of the forum, 15 cooperation agreements were signed between development agencies, special economic zones and public organizations, including foreign entities.

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