VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Customs Service hopes that India will continue expanding trade with Russia in a bid to be Russia’s biggest trade partner, Vladimir Ivin, the service’s deputy chief, said.

"Today, India shares the second and third place with our traditional trade partner Turkey. And bearing in mind India’s potential, we expect that trade with India will exceed these indices," he said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.

According to Ivin, India possess a great potential in terms of import. "We have met with our colleagues in India and see a big interest of Indian businessmen to enter our market. Our businesses confirm this interest. In simple words, nearly everything India can export to us will be consumed and will be sold on our market without problems," he said, adding that key problems for this trade are logistics routes.

"We have no shared border and if compared to another our big neighbor - China, this hampers India to reach China’s level. But with logistics problems resolved, India has a great potential. Big hopes are pinned on the development of the North-South corridor," he noted.

He also stressed that the Federal Customs Service is doing its best to see to it that customs control is no problem for growing trade between Russia and India.

About Eastern Economic Forum

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is underway on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok on September 3-6, 2024. The main theme of the EEF in 2024 is "Far East 2030. Combining strengths to create new potential."

The EEF is one of the largest international conferences in Russia. It has been held in the Primorsky Region’s Russky Island in Vladivostok since 2015. The Forum is the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who decreed that the event be held annually.

The forum's objectives and goals include promoting the accelerated growth of Russia’s Far East region; assessing its potential for exports; expanding international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region; showcasing the investment appeal of the region, its steadily progressing territories, and the Vladivostok free port.

The Roscongress Foundation has served as the Forum’s organizer since 2016.

TASS is the general information partner of the EEF.