Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed on a four-day Central Asia visit starting August 29, with the first stop being a bilateral trip to Uzbekistan.
During the August 29-30 Tashkent leg, PM Modi will hold delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to advance the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership.
The agenda spans trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, healthcare, energy and education, with critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and space cooperation also expected to feature.
PM Modi will then travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1 to attend the 26th SCO Summit, which marks the organisation’s 25th anniversary.
India is expected to focus its SCO agenda on security, connectivity and economic opportunity, at a summit that will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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.
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.
Official portrait of PM Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
Discover more from Times Release
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.