Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tashkent on Saturday for a two-day bilateral visit at the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with the two sides expected to discuss ways to further strengthen their strategic partnership.
During the visit, PM Modi will hold delegation-level talks with Mirziyoyev and review cooperation in key areas, including trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education and people-to-people ties, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The two leaders are also expected to discuss the way forward in bilateral relations and exchange views on advancing their shared developmental visions of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ and ‘Uzbekistan-2030’.
PM Modi is scheduled to visit the Shastri Memorial in Tashkent as well as the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, where he is also expected to interact with Indologists and scholars.
This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said. He had earlier visited the country in 2015 and travelled to Uzbekistan in 2016 and 2022 to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summits.
India and Uzbekistan have maintained close and extensive engagement in bilateral and multilateral formats over the years. Mirziyoyev undertook a State Visit to India in 2018 and participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in 2019.
PM Modi and Mirziyoyev met on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai in 2023 and the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024. Their most recent meeting took place in 2025 on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China.
The upcoming talks are expected to cover a broad range of areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, critical minerals, healthcare, business-to-business cooperation, education, space, technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
“This engagement will provide an opportunity to highlight the long-standing cultural ties between India and Uzbekistan, as well as the important role of academic and people-to-people exchange in further strengthening the bilateral relationship,” George said during a special media briefing on Thursday on PM Modi’s visits to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
“The Prime Minister’s visit will reaffirm the close, multi-faceted and growing strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan,” George said.
Following his visit to Uzbekistan, Modi will travel to Bishkek on August 31 to participate in the 26th SCO Summit. The SCO is marking its 25th anniversary this year, with the theme, ’25 Years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity’.
SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev, a former Defence Minister of Kazakhstan, visited India in May and also travelled to Nalanda University.
The SCO summit programme in Bishkek includes a welcome dinner on August 31, followed by the plenary session the next day, where PM Modi will deliver his remarks. Several bilateral meetings are also expected to be held on the sidelines of the summit.
(IANS Inputs)
