Russia-UAE Business Council and UAE Food Cluster sign cooperation agreement at Make it in the Emirates Forum

Russia-UAE Business Council (RUBC) and UAE Food Cluster have signed a cooperation agreement at Make it in the Emirates, the UAE’s flagship industrial forum. The document was signed by Alexander Vinokurov, Chairman of the Russia-UAE Business Council and President of Marathon Investment Group, and Saleh Lootah, Chairman of UAE Food and Beverage Business Group.

The agreement is aimed at advancing bilateral partnership across the food industry, deepening investment cooperation, and building resilient supply chains serving the markets of Russia, the UAE, and third countries. Some of these tracks are already underway.

For example, with RUBC’s active support, products from 15 UAE manufacturers, including confectionery, dried fruits, and cosmetics, have already been placed in Russian retail chains. The reciprocal process of promoting Russian goods in the UAE market is now also in process.

The partnership is grounded in the complementary nature of the two economies: Russia and the UAE produce distinct categories of goods that do not compete but reinforce one another, providing a durable foundation for mutual trade and industrial localization.  Under the agreement, RUBC and UAE Food Cluster will provide institutional support across four priority areas:

• joint project development across the food industry.

• facilitation of mutual market access for Russian and Emirati companies.

• establishment of resilient logistics and trade corridors.

• development of food resilience strategies and agro-industrial localisation programmes.

The signing reflects the growing importance of the food security agenda in the Russia-UAE dialogue and comes at a strategically significant moment. On April 29, 2026, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the National Programme to Strengthen Supply Chain Resilience, a landmark initiative to safeguard supplies of food, medicine, and industrial goods against global disruptions.

An additional area of cooperation between RUBC and UAE Food Cluster may be joint engagement in third-country markets. Leveraging the UAE’s advanced logistics, port, and trading infrastructure, the parties intend to develop integrated supply models for markets beyond their bilateral relationship.

UAE Food Cluster is an industry platform uniting key participants across the UAE food value chain, from agriculture and processing to retail and HoReCa. Operating under a government mandate established by UAE leadership, the Cluster aim to support the development of the food industry, implement food resilience programmes, and strengthen the national food security system.

Make it in the Emirates, held in Abu Dhabi from May 4–7, is the country’s foremost platform for industrial policy and investment. This year’s fifth edition brings together more than 120,000 visitors, over 1,200 exhibiting companies.