Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his opening remarks at the inaugural India-Crucial Asia Summit on Thursday that Central Asia is central to India’s goal of an integrated and stable extended neighbourhood. The first meeting was decided to be held in India.
Five heads of state attended the summit: Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyzstan’s Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon, and Turkmenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
PM Modi, speaking digitally to his counterparts, stated that India’s diplomatic connections with Central Asian countries had now spanned 30 years.
The PM further said that the collaboration has achieved numerous triumphs over the previous three decades, and now, at this critical moment, they need an ambitious vision for the years ahead, a vision that can meet the hopes of young people of our country.
He went on to say, in reference to the Taliban takeover, “We are concerned about the recent developments in Afghanistan. In this scenario, our collaboration has become even more critical for regional security and stability.”
“Coordination between India and Central Asia is essential for regional security and stability,” he said, adding that the second goal is to give this collaboration an “effective framework” that can be assured by constant engagement between different stakeholders and at various levels.
A three-point agenda was set up by PM Modi for the virtual summit remarks on Thursday.
According to PM Modi, the third purpose of the India-Central Asia Summit is to create an ambitious roadmap.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Kazakhstan as a critical partner for India’s energy security during his opening comments. He further stated that various Indian states are actively coordinating with Uzbekistan on a variety of problems.