Punjab hosts GCC, CIS envoys ahead of PPIS

New Delhi: In the run-up to the 6th Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit (PPIS) 2026, the Punjab government on Thursday held two major diplomatic roundtables in the national capital, engaging Ambassadors from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to strengthen international investment ties.

The meetings, chaired by Punjab Industries & Commerce minister Sanjeev Arora, were attended by diplomats, a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs, and top state officers. The sessions began with welcome remarks by K.K. Yadav, Administrative Secretary, Department of Investment Promotion, followed by an “Advantage Punjab” presentation highlighting the state’s industrial capacity, policy reforms, and opportunities in agriculture, food processing, IT, manufacturing and healthcare.

Envoys from Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain participated in the GCC roundtable, expressing interest in deeper economic cooperation. They noted that the GCC’s world-class ports and logistics networks could serve as a major export gateway for Punjab. They also highlighted alignment between Punjab’s manufacturing strengths and the GCC’s diversification goals.

Ambassadors from Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia and Belarus attended the CIS engagement. Kazakhstan proposed collaboration in education, tourism and trade, while Russia highlighted opportunities in agriculture, railways, petrochemicals, fintech and aerospace. Armenia showed interest in agri-tech, dairy, IT and renewable energy, stressing people-to-people and academic exchanges.