A beautiful sight of India's strengthening diplomatic hold and cultural credibility in Central Asia was seen on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for Uzbekistan on a two-day state visit. During this time he will also participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to be held in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Just before reaching Tashkent, Prime Minister Modi shared a very special video on the social media platform 'X'. In this video, young students of Uzbekistan are seen saying in Hindi language with full enthusiasm and sincerity, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, welcome to the land of Tashkent! We are eagerly waiting for your arrival.” This video of Uzbek youth and their love for Indian culture is now making headlines on the internet.
Emphasis on bilateral talks and strategic partnership
Prime Minister Modi will be on a visit to Tashkent from August 29 to 30 on the special invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This is his fourth visit to Uzbekistan as Prime Minister, which reflects the importance of deepening strategic and people-to-people relations between the two countries. High-level delegation level talks will be held between the top leaders of the two countries in Tashkent.
During this meeting, an agreement is expected to be reached on expanding the scope of cooperation in important areas like trade, digital connectivity, defence, energy, education and investment. Both the leaders will prepare a new roadmap keeping in mind the common development agenda of India 'Develop India 2047' and 'Uzbekistan-2030'.
Tribute to Shastri ji and visit to Mahatma Gandhi Center
This tour is also considered very important from the cultural point of view. During his stay in Tashkent, PM Modi met former Prime Minister of India Late. Will reach the memorial of Lal Bahadur Shastri and pay his heartfelt tribute to him. Apart from this, he is also scheduled to visit the 'Mahatma Gandhi Centre' located at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. This visit can prove to be a milestone in strengthening the penetration of Hindi language and Gandhian ideas in the Central Asian region.
SCO summit in Bishkek after Tashkent
After completing the tour of Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Modi will leave for Bishkek on the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadir Zhaparov. There he will participate in the 26th SCO summit to be held from August 31 to September 1. This conference also marks the historic occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
PM Modi will address the summit on behalf of India, which has been a full member of SCO since 2017. During this, he will clarify India's stand against regional security, terrorism, cyber security and drug trafficking. Besides, the PM will also attend the grand opening ceremony of the '6th World Nomad Games', a symbol of Central Asian culture, in Bishkek.