Official portrait of PM Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-day Central Asia tour began on August 29 with a bilateral visit to Uzbekistan.
The Tashkent leg of the trip, spanning August 29-30, features delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev focused on deepening bilateral ties.
Trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, healthcare, energy and education are on the agenda, alongside critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and space cooperation.
PM Modi is next scheduled to travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1 for the 26th SCO Summit, marking the bloc’s 25th anniversary.
India’s priorities at the summit are expected to centre on security, connectivity and economic opportunity, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin also set to attend.
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.
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
