India, Uzbekistan set $5 billion trade target by 2030 after official talks between PM Modi, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev
India and Uzbekistan on Sunday decided to elevate their bilateral Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his state visit to the Central Asian country.
The two leaders held delegation-level discussions at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace covering a broad range of areas, including trade and investment, innovation and startups, digital public infrastructure and UPI, defence and security, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, agriculture, education, tourism, space and people-to-people ties.
The two sides also set a target of USD 5 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and called for the hosting of a Business Summit to further deepen economic and investment cooperation.
To give greater institutional momentum to the upgraded partnership, PM Modi and Mirziyoyev agreed to establish a Foreign Ministers-led mechanism and decided to raise the Inter-Governmental Commission to the ministerial level.
PM Modi appreciated the progress made towards a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India and underlined the importance of strengthening cooperation in critical minerals.
The talks also highlighted the role of longstanding civilisational links and growing people-to-people contacts in strengthening bilateral relations.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi attended a yoga session organised by the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan and noted the growing popularity of yoga in the country.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the passing of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, PM Modi announced the Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarship for Hindi language for Uzbek students.
The Prime Minister also announced India’s partnership with Uzbekistan in environmental rehabilitation efforts in the Aral Sea region, backed by a USD 1 million grant. The initiative seeks to build on the convergence between Uzbekistan’s “Yashil Makon” green initiative and India’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.
PM Modi and Mirziyoyev also jointly planted a tree in the garden of the Presidential Palace.
Following the talks, India and Uzbekistan witnessed the exchange of several MoUs and agreements covering culture, higher education and research, capacity building, archives, economic cooperation, environment, tourism, mining, Ayurveda and sister-state relations.
The two sides also concluded a Letter of Intent for the restoration of the Buddhist sites of Fayaz Tepa and Kara Tepa in Uzbekistan.
An MoU for establishing an ICCR Sanskrit Chair at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies was also finalised.
PM Modi, who was on a two-day state visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of President Mirziyoyev, was accorded a ceremonial welcome on arrival at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace. He also conveyed his warm wishes to Uzbekistan on the occasion of the country’s 35th anniversary of Independence.
President Mirziyoyev hosted a banquet lunch in honour of the Indian Prime Minister. PM Modi thanked the Uzbek President for his hospitality and invited him to visit India.
