Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun a four-day Central Asia visit, starting with a bilateral trip to Uzbekistan on August 29.
The Tashkent leg, running through August 30, includes delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on deepening the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership.
Trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, healthcare, energy and education are on the agenda, along with critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and space cooperation.
PM Modi will then travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1 for the 26th SCO Summit, marking 25 years since the organisation’s founding.
India’s priority themes at the summit are expected to be security, connectivity and economic opportunity, with the event also drawing Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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.
From Tashkent, the Prime Minister will travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, marking the bloc’s 25th anniversary.
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.
Official portrait of PM Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
