• Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a phone conversation with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on August 12.

• The two leaders reviewed progress in several key areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade, connectivity, health, technology and people-to-people ties.

• They also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the age-old ties between India and Central Asia.

India-Uzbekistan Bilateral Relations

• India was one of the first countries to recognise the state sovereignty of Uzbekistan after the latter’s independence. 

• The protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Uzbekistan was signed in Tashkent on March 18, 1992. 

• India and Uzbekistan declared their Strategic Partnership in 2011. 

• Several institutionalised dialogue mechanisms operate at both political and official levels under this partnership, to ensure regular interaction and follow-up on cooperation activities.

• India is among top 10 trade partners of Uzbekistan with bilateral trade $756.60 million (as per Uzbek statistics-2023). 

• The major items of India’s exports are pharmaceutical products, mechanical equipment, vehicle parts, services, frozen buffalo meat, optical instruments and equipment and mobile phones. 

• India’s import from Uzbekistan consists largely of fruit and vegetable products, services, fertilizers, juice products and extracts, and lubricants.

• Total Indian investments in Uzbekistan amount to $61 million. Notable Indian investments by Indian companies include those in the field of pharmaceuticals, amusement parks, automobile components, and hospitality industry.

• India has longstanding and wide-ranging cooperation with Uzbekistan in the field of defence. Bilateral defence cooperation is carried out through the Joint working Group format, established in 2019.

• India-Uzbekistan military technical cooperation has evolved over time encompassing fields of military training, military education and defence industrial interaction. 

• The size of the Indian community in Uzbekistan is estimated at 14,000, with members involved in various sectors such as business (including pharmaceuticals, tiles and marbles, granite, and textile).

• In June 2017 India became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, of which Uzbekistan is a founding member. The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO-RATS) is headquartered in Tashkent.

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