{"id":83506,"date":"2026-08-31T18:22:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=83506"},"modified":"2026-08-31T18:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:53:25","slug":"pm-modi-visit-to-uzbekistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-08-2026\/pm-modi-visit-to-uzbekistan","title":{"rendered":"PM Modi Visit to Uzbekistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PM Modi paid a <strong>state Visit to Uzbekistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India and Uzbekistan announced to <strong>elevate their mutual Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership level.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both Countries agreed to<strong> set a target of 5 billion dollars of bilateral trade by 2030, <\/strong>which is 5 times the current trade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grant of USD 1 million<\/strong> for afforestation in the <strong>Aral Sea region.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uzbekistan has also agreed <strong>to establish a framework for long-term supply of uranium to India<\/strong> and discuss the sites of the mining for rare earth minerals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercial Agreement<\/strong> between NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) with National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC) <strong>to enable UPI Apps of India to scan national QR \u2013 UZQR for making merchant payments in Uzbekistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Exchange Programme <\/strong>between India and Uzbekistan <strong>for the years 2026-30.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Letter of Intent for the<strong> conservation and restoration of ancient Buddhist sites <\/strong>of <strong>Fayaz Tepa and KaraTepa located in Termez, Uzbekistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi also received the <strong>highest award of Uzbekistan<\/strong> for Foreign Leaders i.e. <strong>the \u201cOliy Darajali Do\u2019stlik\u201d Order<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Brief on India-Uzbekistan Ties<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Establishment of Ties:<\/strong> Both Nations established diplomatic ties in <strong>1992<\/strong>. India and Uzbekistan declared their <strong>Strategic Partnership in 2011.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bilateral Trade and Investments: <\/strong>India is among<strong> top 10 trade partners <\/strong>of Uzbekistan with bilateral trade of <strong>USD 1.32 billion<\/strong> which is well below potential.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Total Indian investments in Uzbekistan amount to US$ 451 million (approx). Indian investments by Indian companies include pharmaceuticals, healthcare, education and residential building.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defence &amp; Security Cooperation: <\/strong>A Joint Working Group on defence was established in 2019. India &amp; Uzbekistan regularly participate in joint military exercises<strong> \u201cDUSTLIK\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 3rd meeting of India\u2013Central Asia NSAs\/Secretaries of Security Councils was held in 2025, it reviewed regional security challenges, advanced counterterrorism and tech cooperation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Cooperation:<\/strong> Indian films, actors and songs have been extremely popular in Uzbekistan. Yoga is immensely popular with more than 2000 participants attending International Yoga Day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diaspora &amp; people-to-people ties<\/strong>: Indian community is estimated to be 21,000 which includes students, workers &amp; business professionals.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First ever India-Uzbekistan Consular Dialogue was held in 2025 during which discussions were held on visa processes, consular cooperation, and security matters.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multilateral engagement: <\/strong>India and Uzbekistan cooperate closely at several multilateral platforms such as the UN, G20, BRICS &amp; SCO.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Uzbekistan for India&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strategic location:<\/strong> Uzbekistan is strategically located in the heart of <strong>Central Asia<\/strong>, making it important for India\u2019s engagement with the wider Eurasian region and for countering the influence of other major powers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Central Asia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Central Asia is the <strong>landlocked central region of Asia,<\/strong> extending from the <strong>Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is bounded on the <strong>north by Russia and on the south by Iran, Afghanistan, and China.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The region consists of the former Soviet republics of <strong>Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central Asia\u2019s unique geographical position is deeply rooted in its historical ties to the \u201cSilk Trade Routes,\u201d and has been <strong>pivotal in the region\u2019s geopolitics and beyond.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebeace\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-268.png\" alt=\"central asia\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83507\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebeace; aspect-ratio:1.7130303698801383;width:506px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-268.png 728w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-268-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Connectivity:<\/strong> Uzbekistan is important for India\u2019s efforts to develop <strong>alternative routes to Central Asia<\/strong>, particularly through <strong>Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy and critical minerals:<\/strong> Uzbekistan is a significant uranium producer, accounting for <strong>roughly 6.6% of global production in 2024. <\/strong>It creates opportunities for India to diversify its energy and critical-mineral supply chains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Security cooperation:<\/strong> Both countries share concerns over <strong>terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and instability in Afghanistan<\/strong>. Defence cooperation, including joint military exercises, strengthens regional security coordination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic potential:<\/strong> Uzbekistan offers opportunities for Indian investments and trade in <strong>pharmaceuticals, IT, agriculture, textiles, mining, energy and infrastructure<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regional diplomacy:<\/strong> Uzbekistan is a key member of the <strong>Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)<\/strong> and an important partner in India\u2019s <strong>Connect Central Asia<\/strong> policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Areas of Concern<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limited bilateral trade:<\/strong> Despite significant potential, India\u2013Uzbekistan trade remains relatively modest due to geographical distance, limited connectivity and high transportation costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Connectivity constraints:<\/strong> India lacks direct land access to Central Asia because of Pakistan\u2019s geographical position. Dependence on routes through Iran and Afghanistan makes connectivity vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>China\u2019s growing influence: <\/strong>China has emerged as a major economic and strategic partner of Uzbekistan through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), creating greater competition for India\u2019s economic and strategic outreach in Central Asia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Enhance Connectivity:<\/strong> Strengthen Chabahar Port and INSTC to establish reliable trade routes between India and Central Asia, overcoming geographical constraints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen security cooperation: <\/strong>Expand counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and defence cooperation, with greater coordination on the security challenges emerging from Afghanistan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Build regional partnerships: <\/strong>Utilise platforms such as the SCO and India\u2013Central Asia mechanism to coordinate on connectivity, terrorism, trade and regional stability.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pmindia.gov.in\/en\/news_updates\/list-of-outcomes-pms-state-visit-to-uzbekistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PMO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> PM Modi paid a state Visit to Uzbekistan. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Major Highlights <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India and Uzbekistan announced to elevate their mutual Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership level.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Both Countries agreed to set a target of 5 billion dollars of bilateral trade by 2030, which is 5 times the current trade. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-08-2026\/pm-modi-visit-to-uzbekistan\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83506"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83509,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83506\/revisions\/83509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}