New Delhi, August 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Tashkent on Saturday for a two-day bilateral visit at the invitation of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
This marks Prime Minister Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan. He will engage in delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both leaders will review cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, defense, digital connectivity, energy, education, and people-to-people relations. They will also set the agenda for future collaboration, focusing on shared development goals like ‘Developed India 2047’ and ‘Uzbekistan-2030.’
PM Modi is expected to visit the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Center at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies during his stay.
Secretary (West) in the MEA, Sibi George, confirmed that this is Modi’s fourth trip to Uzbekistan. He previously visited in 2015 and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summits in 2016 and 2022.
India and Uzbekistan have maintained extensive and meaningful relations at both bilateral and multilateral levels over the years. The Uzbek President made a state visit to India in 2018 and participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in 2019.
PM Modi and Mirziyoyev met during COP 28 in Dubai in 2023 and at the BRICS summit in Kazan in 2024. Their last meeting occurred during the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, in 2025.
The discussions are expected to cover various mutual interests and explore new avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, essential minerals, healthcare, business-to-business engagement, education, space, technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
During a special media briefing on PM Modi’s upcoming visits to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Secretary George stated, “This meeting will highlight the long-standing cultural ties between India and Uzbekistan. It will also underscore the crucial role of academic and people-to-people exchanges in strengthening bilateral relations.”
At Tashkent State University, Prime Minister Modi will engage with indologists and scholars.
Secretary George added, “The Prime Minister’s visit will further bolster the close, diverse, and growing strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan.”
Following his state visit to Uzbekistan, PM Modi will head to Bishkek on August 31 to participate in the 26th SCO summit. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the SCO, with the theme ’25 Years of SCO: Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity Together.’
The upcoming SCO Leaders’ Summit in Bishkek will include a welcome dinner on August 31 and the main summit meeting the following day, where PM Modi will deliver a speech. Several bilateral meetings are also planned during the summit.
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