Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on Monday said his four-day visit to India was focused on preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Uzbekistan, while stressing the need to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Saidov is on an official visit to India from August 2 to August 5.
As part of his visit, the Uzbek Foreign Minister called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and held delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday.
In his talks with Jaishankar, Saidov described his visit as a continuation of regular engagement between the two sides and said the discussions were aimed at deepening the strategic partnership.
“We discussed a lot of things by phone just 10 days ago. My visit to India is part of the understanding to hold these meetings and conversations in preparation for the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister to Uzbekistan,” Saidov said.
He added that India and Uzbekistan have consistently used international platforms and events to expand cooperation, describing the latest visit as an opportunity to provide fresh momentum to bilateral ties.
“India is undoubtedly a reliable partner and our most important strategic and trade partner in South Asia,” Saidov said.
The two sides reviewed the progress of the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership, with discussions covering areas including energy, infrastructure, defence, trade, education and culture.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar posted on X, “Great to meet my friend @FM_Saidov of Uzbekistan. Undertook a detailed review of our Strategic Partnership, with particular focus on energy, infrastructure, trade, defence, education and culture.”
The discussions also covered key regional challenges and ways to expand multilateral cooperation between the two countries.
(ANI)
