PM Modi hosts first India-Central Asia Summit, outlines 3 goals

NEW DELHI: JAN. 27 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday emphasised on the need for India and Central Asian countries to define an ambitious vision for the coming years as he acknowledged the completion of 30 “fruitful” years together.

Hosting the first India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format, Modi in his initial remarks said, “Our cooperation has achieved many successes over the past three decades.

“And now, at this crucial juncture, let us define an ambitious vision for the coming years as well,” he added.

Modi then called for the need to define the three goals for the summit.

Elaborating on the first goal, the Prime Minister said the mutual cooperation between India and central Asia was necessary for regional security and prosperity.

“I want to make it clear that Central Asia is central to India’s vision of an integrated and stable neighbourhood,” he said, addressing the event that saw a participation of the Presidents of five countries, including Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Outlining the second goal, Modi said, “Today’s meeting is to give an effective structure to our cooperation, which will pave the way for the establishment of a platform for regular interaction among all stakeholders.”

For the third goal, Modi said it was crucial to prepare an ambitious roadmap for the cooperation between India and Central Asian countries which, he added, will enable the nations to adopt an integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation.

This is the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders. The summit is symbolic of the importance attached by the leaders of both sides to a comprehensive and enduring India-Central Asia partnership.

The first India-Central Asia Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (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.

-Hindustan Times