Official portrait of PM Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
PM Modi arrives in Uzbekistan on first leg of Central Asia visit
PM Modi began a four-day Central Asia visit on August 29, starting with a bilateral trip to Uzbekistan before heading to Kyrgyzstan for the 26th SCO Summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Uzbekistan on August 29, the first leg of a four-day Central Asia visit.
The two-day Tashkent stop will see PM Modi hold delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to advance the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership.
The agenda includes trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, healthcare, energy and education, along with critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and space cooperation.
PM Modi will next travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1 for the 26th SCO Summit, which marks 25 years since the bloc’s founding.
India is expected to prioritise security, connectivity and economic opportunity at the summit, which will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
India’s priority themes at the SCO Summit are expected to centre on security, connectivity and economic opportunity, with counter-terrorism and regional cooperation also on the agenda.
The Bishkek leg is expected to draw a wide roster of leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, alongside representatives from other SCO member states.
PM Modi is also expected to attend the opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games while in Kyrgyzstan, adding a cultural dimension to the multilateral leg of the trip.
This marks PM Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan, reflecting the sustained diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Tashkent over the past decade.
The visit will include delegation-level talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, covering trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, healthcare, energy, education and technology cooperation.
Officials expect discussions to also touch on critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and space cooperation, areas both countries have flagged as priorities for expanding the relationship.
PM Modi is scheduled to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University as part of the cultural component of the trip.
India and Uzbekistan elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2011, with bilateral trade and investment between the two countries now close to $1 billion.
Official portrait of PM Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India