By Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kicked off a four-day Central Asia visit, beginning with a bilateral trip to Uzbekistan on August 29.
During the two-day Tashkent leg, PM Modi will hold delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations.
The talks are expected to cover trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, healthcare and energy, along with critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and space cooperation.
PM Modi will then head to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1 to attend the 26th SCO Summit, which marks 25 years of the organisation.
India is expected to push security, connectivity and economic opportunity as its priority themes, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin also attending the summit.
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.
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.
Official portrait of PM Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
