• Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar hosted the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for the fourth meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi on June 6. 

• The Central Asia region comprises the countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

• It is a diverse region with a mix of upper middle and low income countries with major strategic importance due to their geographic location and natural resource endowments.

• The inaugural meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was jointly organised by India and Uzbekistan on January 13, 2019 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan).

• India and Central Asia, in each other’s ‘Extended Neighbourhood’, enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia old cultural and people-to-people exchanges. 

• The first India-Central Summit held virtually in January 2022 and the mechanism of India-Central Asia Dialogue, at the level of foreign ministers, have taken this relationship substantially forward.

• The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a manifestation of mutual interest on the part of India and the Central Asian countries to forge even closer, wider and stronger partnership in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding.

Highlights of the meeting:

• The ministers underlined the civilizational, cultural, and people-to-people linkages between India and Central Asian countries and reaffirmed their commitment to building a forward-looking, comprehensive and enduring India-Central Asia partnership.

• They noted the current level of trade and investment between India and Central Asian countries and stressed the importance of making concerted efforts to realise the full potential of mutual trade, especially in sectors like pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, energy, textiles, gems and jewellery, etc.

• The ministers underlined the importance of greater financial connectivity, including through digital payment systems, enhanced inter-bank relations, and trade in national currencies to encourage greater trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. 

• They emphasized optimum usage of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries. The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe. India has been supporting the project. India reiterated its support for the membership of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in INSTC. In this context, ministers appreciated the initiative taken by Kazakhstan to develop the eastern branch of INSTC.

• The ministers agreed to establish India-Central Asia Digital Partnership Forum and welcomed Uzbekistan’s offer to host the inaugural meeting.

• They expressed interest in joint exploration of rare earth and critical minerals. Appreciating the outcomes of the first India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum held in September 2024 in New Delhi, they called upon the relevant authorities to hold the second India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum meeting at the earliest convenience. 

• Taking forward the South-South cooperation, the ministers agreed to work closely with India’s Global South Centre of Excellence DAKSHIN (Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative) to learn from each other’s development experiences.

• The Central Asian countries joined India in strongly condemning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and demanded that the perpetrators, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts be held accountable and punished.

• India welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilise the services of the Shahid Beheshti terminal at the Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond. The Shahid Beheshti terminal at the port is being operated by India.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)