Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organising Committee.
This year’s forum attracted more than 24,500 participants from nearly 140 countries and resulted in the signing of 1,084 agreements, according to Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organising Committee.
Egypt featured prominently in discussions on regional economic cooperation during the forum.
Responding to a question from Ahram Online at the closing briefing, Kobyakov highlighted Egypt’s strategic position as a leading regional power and stressed the importance Moscow attaches to its relationship with Cairo.
“Egypt occupies a central position in the Middle East, and our relations with Egypt are unique,” Kobyakov said, noting that Russians maintain strong interest in Egypt both as a tourism destination and as an important economic partner.
His remarks came as Russia seeks to strengthen trade and investment links with countries beyond its traditional Western markets, placing increasing emphasis on partnerships with emerging economies and regional hubs.
The forum’s central theme, “Pragmatic Dialogue: The Path to a Stable Future,” reflected what Russian officials described as a changing global economic landscape in which emerging economies are playing a larger role in shaping growth, investment and trade flows.
Kobyakov argued that the world economy is increasingly shifting toward what he called the “global majority,” referring to developing and emerging economies that are gaining greater influence in international economic affairs.
A major focus of discussions at SPIEF 2026 was the future of the global economy amid growing geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and the emergence of alternative centres of economic power.
Despite continuing tensions between Russia and Western countries, Kobyakov said international interest in Russia remains significant and pointed to what he described as cautious optimism among some Western investors regarding a possible return to the Russian market.
One of the forum’s most notable developments was the participation of an official United States delegation for the first time in a decade. Kobyakov credited US President Donald Trump with helping reopen channels of dialogue between Moscow and Washington after years of strained relations.
“We expect our American counterparts to fulfil the agreements already reached,” he said.
Russian officials used the forum to reiterate Moscow’s readiness for international cooperation while emphasizing that the country remains prepared for a variety of geopolitical and economic scenarios.
“Russia has never closed the door to dialogue, but we are carefully monitoring global trends and are prepared for different developments,” Kobyakov said.
The scale of participation and the volume of agreements signed during SPIEF 2026 highlighted Russia’s continuing efforts to expand economic partnerships across the Global South and strengthen ties with countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
For Egypt, the forum offered another indication of Cairo’s growing importance in Russian strategic thinking, both as a major regional actor and as a potential gateway for trade, investment and economic cooperation across North Africa and the broader Middle East.
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