India, Uzbekistan aim for $5B trade by 2030
Two countries agreed to establish framework for long-term supply of uranium from Uzbekistan
India and Uzbekistan on Sunday agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and set a target of increasing annual bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2030 following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The two countries also agreed to establish a framework for the long-term supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India as part of their cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector.
The discussions between the two leaders covered a broad range of areas, including trade, investment, infrastructure, critical minerals, mining, defence and security, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information technology, digital public infrastructure including UPI, and education.
Several agreements were exchanged during the visit in areas such as mining, culture, education, tourism and Ayurveda.
Modi said bilateral trade currently stands at more than $1 billion and stressed the need to address issues concerning market access, banking, payment systems and connectivity in a structured manner.
“Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia and is at the heart of India’s engagement in the region,” Modi said.
“A stronger India-Uzbekistan partnership will be a powerful force for peace, progress and prosperity in Central Asia,” he added.
Defence cooperation was also a key focus of the talks. Modi said both countries would encourage their defence industries to pursue direct partnerships for the co-development and co-production of military equipment.
“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,” he said.
On regional security, Modi said terrorism, extremism and separatism remained serious challenges for the region. “Maintaining a policy of zero tolerance against these threats has been, and will continue to be, our shared resolve,” he said.
Modi arrived in Tashkent on Saturday for a two-day visit, which coincides with the 15th anniversary of the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership. He described the decision to upgrade the relationship as a significant milestone.
“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 during his opening remarks at the bilateral talks.
He said the new framework would be accompanied by concrete goals and noted that his dinner meeting with Mirziyoyev on Saturday had resulted in several important decisions.
The two sides agreed to establish a Coordination Council at the foreign ministers’ level to guide bilateral cooperation. The existing Joint Commission will also be upgraded from the secretary level to the ministerial level.
The two countries further agreed to jointly organise a business summit bringing together business leaders from India and Uzbekistan to promote greater commercial engagement.
“We will also establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium,” Modi said, without providing additional details.
India and Uzbekistan also agreed on a Letter of Intent for the restoration and conservation of the Buddhist sites of Fayaz Tepa and Kara Tepa. Located in southern Uzbekistan, the ancient sites contain remains of Buddhist monasteries and reflect the spread of Buddhism through Central Asia along the Silk Road.
Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan was committed to deepening its partnership with India across several sectors, including 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 define our objectives in these fields clearly,” he said.
The agreements and decisions reached during the talks are expected to provide a broader framework for India-Uzbekistan cooperation, with both sides seeking to expand economic ties, strengthen strategic and defence cooperation and develop new partnerships in energy, technology, culture and other key sectors.
PM conferred with highest honour
Tashkent: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday conferred with Uzbekistan’s highest honour for foreign leaders, the ‘Oliy Darajali Do’stlik’ Order, which he dedicated to the “enduring” bond between New Delhi and Tashkent.
The Uzbek honour adds to a list of top State and civilian awards conferred on Modi by close to three dozen countries in recognition of his leadership and contribution to bilateral ties.
Modi is in Uzbekistan on a two-day visit to bolster ties in a range of areas including trade, clean energy and connectivity.
The Prime Minister 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.
The Ministry of External Affairs said on X that the prime minister was conferred the honour for his “contribution in strengthening the friendship between the two countries”.
“PM dedicated the accolade to the 1.4 billion people of India and highlighted that it is a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two civilisations,” it said.
In his remarks, Modi said receiving the award was a matter of great pride for him.
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.
Modi said receiving the award was not his personal honour but an honour for 1.4 billion Indians.
“On behalf of all Indians, I sincerely thank the people of Uzbekistan, the government, and my dear friend, the President. I accept this highest honour with utmost humility and dedicate it to the centuries-old friendship between our two countries and our shared heritage,” he said.
In July, Indonesia conferred upon Modi its highest civilian award, the ‘Bintang Adipurna of the Republic of Indonesia’, recognising his contribution to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.
In June, Seychelles conferred its highest national honour, the ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’, on Modi in recognition of his leadership in environmental conservation and sustainable development.
Earlier this year, Israel conferred upon him the ‘Medal of the Knesset’, making him the first recipient of the honour.
Russia conferred upon Modi the ‘Order of St. Andrew the Apostle’ in 2024, the country’s highest state decoration, for his contribution to deepening the strategic partnership between India and Russia.
The United States also awarded Modi one of the country’s top honours, the ‘Legion of Merit’, in 2020 in recognition of his leadership in strengthening the India-US strategic partnership.
On Sunday, Modi held talks with Mirziyoyev, following which India and Uzbekistan decided to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two countries also set a target of USD 5 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas including trade and investment, digital public infrastructure, defence, healthcare, critical minerals, agriculture, education and tourism.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to Kyrgyzstan from Tashkent to participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on August 31-September 1.
