Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and the Government of Moscow signed a memorandum of cooperation to collaborate on urban transport, digital innovation and industrial development at the fifth International Transport Summit in Moscow. The agreement was signed by GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow and head of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development, in the presence of Visakhapatnam member of parliament M. Sribharat. The partnership is intended to help Visakhapatnam adopt global practices in sustainable urban transport and smart mobility and provide a framework for technological cooperation.

Under the memorandum both parties will work on modern and sustainable urban transport systems, integrated transport plans, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and digital ticketing infrastructure. The cooperation will also include integration of artificial intelligence in transport management, autonomous transport infrastructure and participation in the Urban Transport Data Project. The scope extends to automotive and electronics manufacturing, energy storage systems, vertical transport solutions, technology transfer and exchanges of technical experts.

The agreement followed discussions during the visit of the Andhra Pradesh minister for education, information technology and electronics Nara Lokesh to Russia in June 2026 and subsequent talks with Moscow transport officials. State leaders said the cooperation would support development of the Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER) as a centre for economic growth and technological innovation in Andhra Pradesh. Municipal administration and urban development officials said the tie up would strengthen Visakhapatnam's role as a regional hub and facilitate knowledge exchange.

City officials indicated the memorandum would help improve urban infrastructure and promote technology based solutions aimed at long term resilience and operational efficiency. The partnership is expected to include exchanges of experts and shared studies to adapt international practices to local conditions. Authorities noted the collaboration would align with broader plans for integrated transport and industrial growth in the northern part of the state and that implementation details would be subject to further technical arrangements.