In terms of Indian diplomacy, global relations and strategic partnerships, India is once again making waves across the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Uzbekistan's historic and beautiful capital Tashkent on Saturday as part of the first phase of his important and much-awaited foreign tour of his two countries. As soon as he landed at Tashkent International Airport, Prime Minister Modi was given a very warm, grand and unprecedented welcome by the administrative officials and the Indian community there. This is the fourth visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Uzbekistan, which gives a strong testimony to the time-tested and deepening relations between the two countries. India's relations with this strategically important country of Central Asia have been touching new dimensions in the last few years, and this visit of the Prime Minister is going to prove to be a milestone in making these relations more strong and future-oriented. Bilateral talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and expansion of strategic partnership After reaching Tashkent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's main focus is on high-level and delegation level bilateral talks with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Both the top leaders will thoroughly review the ongoing strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan. During this, many important issues like increasing trade and investment opportunities, deepening defense cooperation, facilitating digital connectivity, ensuring energy security, exchanges in the field of higher education and deepening people to people ties between the citizens of the two countries will be discussed in detail. Uzbekistan acts as a trade and cultural bridge between South Asia and Central Asia, hence this dialogue is considered very special for regional stability and economic prosperity. Prime Minister Modi's visionary statement before leaving for the visit Just before leaving for Tashkent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his official statement had said that unprecedented progress has been recorded in the bilateral and strategic relations between India and Uzbekistan in recent years. In his message shared through social media and press releases, he made it clear that he looks forward to taking mutual cooperation to new heights with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, especially in the areas of trade, advanced digital connectivity, defense manufacturing and energy sectors. The Prime Minister also underlined that his visit will prove extremely helpful in linking the national vision of 'Developed India' and the shared vision of 'Yangi Uzbekistan' (i.e. New Uzbekistan) and finding new ways for a bright future for the young generations of both the countries. Visit to historical sites in Tashkent and tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastri During his strategic and diplomatic visit to Tashkent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be limited to just political meetings, but he will also visit important sites related to the historical and cultural roots of India. During his visit, PM Modi will reach the famous Shastri Memorial in Tashkent, where he will pay emotional tribute to the great former Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri by paying floral tributes at his statue. Apart from this, the Prime Minister also has a special program to visit the Mahatma Gandhi Center located on the campus of Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. This place is a symbol of the ancient philosophical, cultural and educational ties between the two countries, which keeps Indian culture and the message of non-violence alive in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan visit and participation in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit After successfully concluding his bilateral meetings and engagements with Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Bishkek on the official invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadir Zhaparov. The Prime Minister will prominently participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. This year's SCO summit is very historic and special as this organization is celebrating 25 glorious years of its establishment. The role of SCO as a platform for building a common strategy for peace, security, economic cooperation and counter-terrorism in the Eurasian region has become extremely important in today's global scenario. This visit of Prime Minister Modi will not only strengthen India's diplomatic relations with Central Asian countries, but will also send a new message to the whole world about India's growing diplomatic strength and leadership capability on the global stage.
