PM Modi to visit Uzbekistan, attend SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ​attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit ‌in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek next week and also undertake a State Visit to Uzbekistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

PM Modi is set to arrive in Tashkent on August 29 on a two-day bilateral visit at the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This will be Prime Minister Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan and he is scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

According to the MEA, the two leaders would review cooperation in trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education and people-to-people domains and set the agenda for the road ahead. They will also share perspectives on advancing the shared developmental visions of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ and ‘Uzbekistan-2030’.

PM Modi is also expected to visit the Shastri Memorial in Tashkent and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.

This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan, said Sibi George, Secretary (West) at MEA. He had earlier visited Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries in 2015, followed by visits in 2016 and 2022 to attend the SCO Summits.

India and Uzbekistan have maintained extensive and fruitful engagements both in bilateral and multilateral formats over the past many years. The Uzbek President visited India for a State Visit in 2018 and he also participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in 2019.

PM Modi and Mirziyoyev met on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and also in 2024, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

The leaders last met in 2025 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Discussions are expected to cover a wide range of areas of mutual interest and identify new avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, critical minerals, healthcare, business-to-business engagement, 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,” Secretary George noted during a special media briefing on the visit of PM Modi to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on Thursday.

At the Tashkent State University, Prime Minister Modi will also interact with Indologists and scholars.

“The Prime Minister’s visit will reaffirm the close, multi-faceted and growing strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan,” stated Secretary George.

Following the State Visit to Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Bishkek on August 31 to participate in the 26th SCO Summit. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the SCO and this year’s theme is ’25 Years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity’.

In May, SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev, a former Defence Minister of Kazakhstan, visited India and also the Nalanda University.

The programme elements for the upcoming SCO leadership summit in Bishkek include a welcome dinner on August 31, and the summit plenary the next day, where Prime Minister Modi will deliver his remarks. A number of bilateral engagements are also being planned on the sidelines in Bishkek.

PM Modi is also expected to participate in the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games along with other leaders from SCO member countries.

–IANS

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