Tashkent, Aug. 30 -- India and Uzbekistan elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on Sunday following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Marking the 15th anniversary of the strategic partnership, the two nations set a target of $5 billion in annual trade by 2030 and agreed to establish a framework for long-term uranium supply from Uzbekistan to India, among other things.
PM Modi confirmed that India and Uzbekistan would establish a long-term uranium supply arrangement, a move expected to help keep India's nuclear power plans on track for the long haul.
"We will also establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium," PM Modi said, flagging it as one of the biggest takeaways from the talks.
India and Uzbekistan are also finalising three sister-city and sister-state agreements. PM Modi called for a clear roadmap so the partnerships deliver results on the ground.
Mirziyoyev also shared some notable figures. He described India as a "reliable strategic partner" and said bilateral trade crossed the $1 billion mark last year for the first time. Joint ventures have also increased sevenfold compared to a few years ago. Travel has become easier as well. There are now 14 direct flights a week connecting the two countries, according to Mirziyoyev. India and Uzbekistan already cooperate in trade, investment, education, pharmaceuticals, IT and culture. Nuclear energy and city planning are the latest additions to that list. For India, Uzbekistan is emerging as an increasingly important partner in Central Asia.The two sides inked 11 agreements to boost engagement in several key sectors, including mining and tourism. 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 elevating the India-Uzbekistan strategic ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting the growing depth and expanding scope of cooperation.
Modi and Mirziyoyev witnessed the exchange of agreements covering a wide range of areas such as mining, culture, education, tourism, ayurveda, among others. "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. 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." "Maintaining a policy of zero tolerance against these threats has been, and will continue to be, our shared resolve," he added. 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.
The two sides announced that a commercial pact was firmed up between NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) and Uzbekistan's National Interbank Processing Centre JSC to enable UPI apps of India to scan national QR - UZQR for making merchant payments in the Central Asian nation. Modi landed in Tashkent on Saturday on a two-day visit to bolster ties with Uzbekistan in a range of areas.
A joint statement said the prime minister and the Uzbek president agreed to explore cooperation in the fields of geology, mining, nuclear energy, industrial cooperation, and critical and strategic minerals, including projects for the processing of mineral resources, production of value- added products and recycling initiatives. "They also expressed interest in encouraging Indian companies to participate in the development of prospective mineral deposits in Uzbekistan and Uzbek enterprises for joint collaboration in India. The leaders expressed interest in extended cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy," it said. The statement said Modi and Mirziyoyev agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals through joint projects in geological exploration, mining, mineral processing, and the development of integrated value chains. 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," he said. The joint statement said the two leaders welcomed the close alignment of their positions and the growing importance of Central Asia.
Amid a complex geopolitical situation, they stressed the need for a free, open and rules-based international order. Building on their multilateral cooperation, it said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.