India, Uzbekistan Elevate Ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership:PM Modi

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India and Uzbekistan have agreed to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
India will cooperate with Uzbekistan to preserve its Buddhist heritage sites.
Scholarships will be introduced to promote Hindi language learning in Uzbekistan.

Tashkent: India and Uzbekistan have decided to deepen their longstanding relationship by upgrading their strategic partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during his visit to Tashkent.

Speaking alongside Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev after their talks on Sunday, Modi highlighted the historical and cultural connections between the two countries and outlined several new areas of cooperation.

India to Help Preserve Uzbekistan’s Buddhist Heritage

India and Uzbekistan will work together to protect and preserve important Buddhist heritage sites in Uzbekistan, according to Modi.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen the cultural links between the two countries.

The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of increasing exchanges between young people, particularly students and professionals.

Scholarships to Promote Hindi in Uzbekistan

Modi announced scholarships aimed at encouraging the study and promotion of the Hindi language in Uzbekistan.

The initiative is expected to strengthen educational and cultural exchanges and create greater opportunities for young people from both countries to engage with each other’s languages and traditions.

Tourism Cooperation to Get a Boost

India and Uzbekistan have also agreed on a Programme of Cooperation designed to strengthen tourism between the two countries.

The agreement is expected to encourage greater tourist movement and expand people-to-people contacts.

Modi also emphasised that India-Uzbekistan cooperation should extend beyond the national capitals.

The two sides plan to develop partnerships between cities and states to broaden cooperation at the regional level.

Defence Cooperation to Expand

Defence and security cooperation remains an important pillar of the bilateral relationship.

Modi said the close cooperation in this area reflects the mutual trust between India and Uzbekistan.

Going forward, both sides intend to develop stronger connections between their defence industries, including co-production and co-development.

India and Uzbekistan also reaffirmed their shared opposition to terrorism, extremism and separatism.

Agriculture and Traditional Medicine

The two countries are also looking to combine their respective strengths in agriculture and healthcare.

Modi highlighted Uzbekistan’s experience in horticulture and India’s modern agricultural practices as areas where cooperation could support food security.

Traditional medicine is another emerging area of partnership.

Uzbekistan’s medicinal herbs and India’s expertise in Ayurveda could provide opportunities for collaboration, with a new agreement on traditional medicine expected to strengthen joint efforts.