Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 30: India and Uzbekistan on Sunday decided to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to establish a framework for long-term supply of Uranium following talks between the Prime Minster Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Uzbekistan, and the host President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
This was Mr Modi’s fourth visit to the Central Asian country. The 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.
The two sides also set a target of $5 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2030, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The current volume of bilateral trade between the two nations is over $1 billion.
The experts said India secured what could turn out to be one of its most important nuclear energy wins in years. Mr 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. The announcement came after PM Modi met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
“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. That wasn’t the only item on the agenda. India and Uzbekistan are also finalising three sister-city and sister-state agreements. PM Modi’s message was simple: don’t let these become another set of signed papers that go nowhere. He called for a clear roadmap so the partnerships deliver results on the ground.
Urban development came up too. Uzbekistan is currently building New Tashkent, effectively a brand-new city from scratch, and PM Modi pointed to Gujarat’s GIFT City as a model worth studying. He also offered to host an Uzbek delegation to showcase the planning, technology and implementation behind the project.
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.
There is a cultural dimension to the relationship, too. Mirziyoyev highlighted the Lal Bahadur Shastri Centre for Indian Culture and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Indian Studies, saying both have played an important role in strengthening people-to-people ties. Yoga, in particular, has gained popularity in Uzbekistan. The country has had a national Yoga Federation since 2018, and hosted a yoga festival in June that attracted participants from across the region.
Uzbekistan is set to remove visa requirements for Indian citizens for stays of up to 30 days. Mirziyoyev said the move would help boost tourism, business travel and broader people-to-people contact. 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.
PM Modi’s visit to Tashkent concludes on August 30, after which he will travel to Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Judging by the progress made over the past two days, both sides appear serious about turning commitments into tangible outcomes, whether in uranium supplies or visa-free travel.
Both leaders witnessed the exchange of several agreements covering a wide range of areas, including mining, culture, education, tourism, ayurveda, among others. 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.
New Delhi had been looking at procuring Uranium from Uzbekistan to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes. “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. “We will move forward by setting concrete goals within this framework,” he said in Hindi.
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,” Mr Modi said.
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.