Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged Afghanistan as a common concern and said that their “mutual cooperation has become even more important for regional security and stability”. Two days after China held a virtual summit with Central Asian countries, India too stepped in and Prime Minister Modi pitched for “an integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation for the next 30 years”.
He asserted that Central Asia is central to India’s vision of an integrated and stable extended neighbourhood. Addressing the first India-Central Asia Summit hosted by him, in a virtual format, he called for defining an ambitious vision for cooperation between India and Central Asia in the coming years.
“On behalf of India, I would like to clarify that Central Asia is central to India’s vision of an integrated and stable extended neighbourhood,” he added.
In his initial remarks at the Summit, Modi said, “We all are concerned about the Afghan situation and this makes cooperation between India and Central Asia all the more important for regional stability and security.”
The virtual summit saw the participation of five presidents — Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyz Republic.
Mutual cooperation between India and Central Asia is essential for regional security and prosperity, Modi said. This is the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders.
Modi said that an effective structure for cooperation will establish a framework of regular interactions at different levels and among various stakeholders, and the roadmap will enable the six countries to adopt an “integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation in the next thirty years”, he added.
Modi also referred to India’s close ties with all the Central Asian states at a bilateral level, and described Kazakhstan as an important partner for the country’s energy security. “I express my condolences for the recent loss of life and property in Kazakhstan,” he said, referring to violent protests over a rise in gas prices in that country.
As India and the Central Asian states mark 30 years of diplomatic ties, Modi noted that cooperation in the past led to many successes but the time had come to define an “ambitious vision for the years to come” that can fulfill the aspirations of the people, especially the younger generation.
The first India-Central Asia Summit, the MEA had said, is a reflection of the country’s growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India’s “extended neighbourhood”.
Modi had paid a visit to all Central Asian countries in 2015. Subsequently, there have been exchanges at high levels at bilateral and multilateral forums.
China held a summit with the leaders of Central Asian countries on January 25, at a very short notice, after India had announced its summit. China’s President Xi Jinping had offered USD 500 million in assistance to the region and had vouched to strengthen trade with the countries.
