India and Uzbekistan on Sunday agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Sibi George and other officials were present during the meeting.
PM Modi is on a two-day state visit to Uzbekistan from August 29 to 30 at the invitation of Mirziyoyev. This is his fourth visit to the Central Asian country.
Prime Minister Modi received a ceremonial welcome as he arrived to hold delegation-level talks with Mirziyoyev, with the two leaders discussing ways to further deepen the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership and advance their shared developmental visions of ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Yangi Uzbekistan’.
The talks covered a range of areas, including trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy, according to the Indian side.
PM Modi had earlier said the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership had witnessed significant advancement in recent years and expressed his desire to further deepen cooperation in key sectors.
PM Modi on Sunday also witnessed a yoga session hosted by the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan.
“Yoga has immense appeal in Uzbekistan. It is bringing people and cultures together and strengthening people-to-people ties between India and Uzbekistan,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X.
After attending the session, PM Modi said Uzbekistan had been a “proud participant” in the first-ever World Yogasana Championship held in Ahmedabad earlier this year, and some of the medal winners were present at the session.
PM Narendra Modi arrived in Tashkent on Saturday and received a warm welcome from Mirziyoyev at the airport.
After his arrival, the prime minister visited Yangi Uzbekistan Park and laid a wreath at the Independence Monument along with the Uzbek president.
He also interacted with members of the Indian community at a hotel in Tashkent, where he witnessed Kathak and Andijan Polka performances by the diaspora and a dance by Uzbek children to the Indian song “Ude Jab Jab Zulfe Teri”.
Prime Minister Modi also watched a fusion performance of tabla with traditional Uzbek instruments Doira and Chang.
The prime minister is scheduled to travel to Kyrgyzstan from Tashkent to participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31-September 1 at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov.
The summit will mark the 25th anniversary of the SCO. PM Modi will address the summit and highlight India’s priorities of “Security, Connectivity and Opportunity”, besides holding bilateral meetings with SCO leaders on the sidelines.
The PM will also attend the opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games.
-(with inputs from PTI & IANS)
