Top News

India and Uzbekistan have agreed to upgrade their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and are working on a framework for the long-term supply of uranium, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday (August 30).

As part of the agreement, both countries have set a target of USD 5 billion in annual trade by 2030. The current volume of bilateral trade between the two nations is over USD 1 billion.

PM Modi made the announcement after holding talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Modi was also conferred with Uzbekistan’s prestigious ‘Oliy Darajali Do’stlik’ Order, which he dedicated to the “enduring” bond between India and Uzbekistan. Modi is on a two-day visit to bolster ties in a range of areas including trade, clean energy and connectivity.

Bilateral talks

Following the talks, the two sides have agreed to establish a framework for long-term supply of Uranium from Uzbekistan to India in line with cooperation in the civil-nuclear energy sector.

Also read: Looking forward to work together for region free from terror: Modi ahead of SCO Summit

“We are celebrating the 15th anniversary of our strategic partnership. I am delighted that, on this special occasion, we are elevating our ties to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Modi said in his opening remarks at the bilateral talks on Sunday.

“We will move forward by setting concrete goals within this framework,” he said in Hindi.

Strategic cooperation

The Modi-Mirziyoyev talks focused on expanding cooperation in areas of trade, investment, infrastructure, critical minerals, mining, defence and security, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, health, information technology, digital public infrastructure, including UPI, and education.

Both leaders announced the elevation of strategic ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership – reflecting the growing depth and expanding scope of cooperation between India and Uzbekistan.

They witnessed the exchange of several agreements, covering a wide range of areas, including mining, culture, education, tourism and ayurveda, among others.

Defence ties

“Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia and is at the heart of India’s engagement in the region,” Modi said.

The prime minister added, “A stronger India-Uzbekistan partnership will be a powerful force for peace, progress and prosperity in Central Asia.” Delving into the ambitious agenda of future cooperation between the two sides, Modi said India and Uzbekistan will encourage their defence industries to look at co-development and co-production of military hardware.

Also read: Kerala medical student murdered in Uzbekistan: family alleges torture, case lodged

On trade and investment, he said issues relating to market access, banking, payment systems and connectivity will be addressed in a structured way.

“The close defence and security cooperation between our two countries reflects our deep mutual trust. In the future, we will promote direct linkages, co-production, and co-development between our defence industries,” Modi said.

“We believe that terrorism, extremism, and separatism pose serious challenges to the entire region,” said the prime minister. “Maintaining a policy of zero tolerance against these threats has been, and will continue to be, our shared resolve.”

Conservation of Buddhist sites

A Letter of Intent for the restoration and conservation of the Buddhist sites of Fayaz Tepa and Kara Tepa in Uzbekistan was also agreed upon.

These ancient Buddhist monasteries in southern Uzbekistan highlight how Buddhism spread along the Silk Road and flourished in Central Asia.

Also read: PM Modi receives warm reception from Indian diaspora in Uzbekistan

The prime minister also made a mention of the “productive talks” he had with the Uzbek president over dinner last night. “We had a productive discussion over dinner last night and took several important decisions.”

“We will establish a Coordination Council at the level of foreign ministers to provide direction to all aspects of our cooperation through close coordination,” Modi said.

Deepening ties

The prime minister said both sides will also elevate their existing joint commission from the level of secretaries to that of ministerial level. “Both sides will jointly organise a business summit featuring business leaders from both nations.” “We will also establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium,” he said, without sharing any further details.

The Uzbek president said his country is determined to boost ties with India in diverse sectors. “We are aiming to advance cooperation in sectors such as energy, culture, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, jewellery and agriculture.” “We will prepare roadmaps for each of these sectors; specific teams from India will visit here, and our teams will travel to India, enabling us to clearly define our objectives in these fields,” Mirziyoyev added.

Uzbek honours Modi

PM Modi was conferred with the honour by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. “Honoured to receive the ‘Oliy Darajali Do’stlik’ Order. I dedicate this to the enduring bond between India and Uzbekistan,” Modi said in a social media post.

Also read: Why upcoming SCO and BRICS summits are thorny for India

In his remarks, Modi said, “Being honoured with Uzbekistan’s highest award is a matter of great pride for me.” He said the people of India are very familiar with the word used for the award – ‘Dostlik’.

“There is hardly a family in India where the word ‘Dostlik’ is not spoken a hundred times a day. Today, you have truly brought out the essence of it. ‘Dostlik’ means friendship. The word itself beautifully expresses the sentiment at the heart of the relationship between India and Uzbekistan,” he said.

The prime minister is scheduled to travel to Kyrgyzstan from Tashkent to participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31-September 1.

(With agency inputs)