Modi’s Central Asia Mission Begins: Uzbekistan Talks, SCO Summit And Putin Meeting In Focus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed on Saturday for a four-day tour of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, a visit set to combine high-level bilateral diplomacy with participation in the 26th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek.

In his departure statement, Modi said the journey would strengthen India's strategic partnerships in Central Asia and deepen the country's civilisational connect with the region. The first leg takes him to Tashkent on August 29-30 on a State Visit at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Modi's fourth trip to the country. Talks with Mirziyoyev are expected to cover trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence, energy and education, alongside efforts to align India's Viksit Bharat vision with Uzbekistan's Yangi Uzbekistan programme. Modi will also visit the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University, gestures reflecting the two nations' cultural ties.

From Tashkent, the Prime Minister travels to Bishkek at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov to attend the SCO Summit, marking the bloc's 25th anniversary. India has been a full SCO member since 2017, and Modi is expected to press the case for a region free of terrorism, separatism and extremism, framed around his three-pillar vision of Security, Connectivity and Opportunity. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games in Bishkek.

The summit sidelines are set to draw heavy diplomatic traffic. The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold bilateral talks with Modi on August 31, with Putin scheduled for nine such meetings during the summit, including one with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian aide Yuri Ushakov said the Modi-Putin conversation would continue when Putin travels to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit on September 12-13, describing India-Russia ties as a "privileged strategic partnership." External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier conveyed Modi's invitation to Putin during talks in Moscow.

The tour concludes on September 1, after which the Prime Minister returns to India.