Uzbekistan, India Elevate Ties to Strategic Partnership

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and India have agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Uzbekistan on 29–30 August 2026, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Modi said in a joint statement issued after the visit.

The two leaders held talks in a warm, friendly and constructive atmosphere, conducting a comprehensive review of the current state and prospects of Uzbek-Indian relations. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and identified priority areas for further practical cooperation.

Political, parliamentary and defence cooperation

The sides stressed the importance of maintaining regular and trust-based dialogue at the leadership and institutional levels and agreed to continue exchanges of visits and contacts both bilaterally and on the sidelines of international events. The leaders agreed to establish a mechanism led by the foreign ministers to coordinate and monitor implementation of agreements reached, as well as to facilitate the timely implementation of priority bilateral initiatives and projects.

The two sides noted the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy and welcomed increased contacts between the chambers of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis and India’s parliament, including cooperation between parliamentary friendship groups. The leaders also agreed to work jointly to modernize the legal framework for bilateral cooperation in line with current priorities.

The statement contains an unequivocal condemnation of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations. The sides reaffirmed a policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism and rejected any justification for it. They called for coordinated action against terrorist structures and the disruption of terrorist financing networks, while stressing the importance of holding perpetrators, their accomplices and sponsors accountable.

The sides also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between law enforcement agencies, intelligence sharing, and efforts to combat violent extremism, drug trafficking, organized crime and cyber threats through the joint working group on counterterrorism.

The leaders highly valued growing cooperation between the defence and security agencies of the two countries, as well as the work of the joint working group on military cooperation, which is examining new areas of engagement in the defence-industrial sector.

They noted the successful conduct of the joint Uzbekistan-India Dustlik military exercises, the latest round of which took place in the Namangan region in April 2026. The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the Central Asia-India format at the level of heads of state and at other levels.

Trade, economy and investment

The leaders welcomed the strong economic partnership between the two countries and noted significant untapped potential for expanding trade and investment. The sides agreed on joint measures to broaden the range of traded goods, remove non-tariff barriers and develop industrial cooperation. They also decided to establish a joint working group on non-tariff issues and investment barriers, focusing on key sectors of bilateral trade.

The two countries expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in e-commerce, digitizing trade procedures and introducing digital platforms to support small and medium-sized businesses. Uzbekistan thanked India for its support for Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization, while the sides agreed to work together to preserve the multilateral trading system based on the WTO.

The leaders highly valued the outcomes of the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, as well as Uzbek-Indian business forums held in June 2026 on the sidelines of the Tashkent International Investment Forum and in August 2026 in New Delhi.

The sides noted significant potential for bilateral trade in electrical engineering, machinery, automotive manufacturing and pharmaceuticals and agreed to strengthen cooperation between companies in these sectors.

The two countries also agreed to explore opportunities to expand cooperation between Uzbekistan’s Investment Promotion Agency and Invest India. Referring to the completed joint feasibility study for a preferential trade agreement between the two countries, they instructed relevant agencies to work out further steps within the established deadlines.

Energy, natural resources and supply chains

The leaders welcomed discussions on developing cooperation in renewable energy, modernizing energy infrastructure and implementing promising investment projects.

The sides agreed to explore cooperation in geology, mining, nuclear energy, industrial cooperation and critical and strategic minerals, including projects for processing mineral resources and producing value-added products.

They expressed interest in involving Indian companies in the development of promising deposits in Uzbekistan and Uzbek enterprises in joint projects in India, as well as expanding cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Agriculture

The sides agreed to cooperate in developing agro-industrial value chains, strengthening export potential and increasing the technical capacity of agriculture and livestock production.

They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening food security cooperation, with a focus on innovation and resource-efficient technologies, and agreed to facilitate mutual trade in agricultural products.

The leaders supported expanded cooperation between research institutes and enterprises to improve agricultural productivity and preserve plant genetic resources.

Transport, logistics and connectivity

The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to joint efforts to develop transport and logistics connectivity through the creation of multimodal transport routes and logistics corridors.

They noted their intention to continue cooperation on restoring freight transportation to reduce transport costs, as well as exchanging experience in road construction using modern technologies.

The leaders recognized the importance of developing environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solutions for Uzbekistan’s public transport sector.

Digital technology, innovation and space

The sides welcomed the successful operation of the first IT Park in Tashkent, established in 2019 based on the Indian model with support from Software Technology Parks of India.

They agreed to expand partnerships between technology parks, companies, startups and educational institutions in the two countries.

The leaders noted strengthened cooperation in high technology and digital transformation, as well as the implementation of agreements reached in February 2026 on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

The sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in developing safe and reliable artificial intelligence systems and expand practical engagement in the exploration and peaceful use of outer space.

Education, healthcare, culture, sports and tourism

The leaders noted the contribution of Indian students to strengthening humanitarian ties between the two countries and welcomed the expansion of studies of India in Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan in India.

The sides highly valued their longstanding partnership in personnel training, particularly in medicine, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, nanotechnology and biotechnology. Over the years of cooperation, more than 2,700 Uzbek citizens have participated in India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme, while more than 400 Uzbek students have received Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarships, including scholarships under the AYUSH programme.

In this context, Uzbekistan welcomed the announcement of the Lal Bahadur Shastri scholarship for the study of Hindi in Uzbekistan.

The sides noted the alignment between Uzbekistan’s Yashil Makon initiative and India’s Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam programme and agreed to cooperate on greening and environmental restoration in the Aral Sea region. The work, valued at US$1 million, including the necessary technical support, will be carried out through the Indian government’s grant programme.

The leaders agreed to expand cooperation in strengthening healthcare systems, including biomedical research, and noted the significant potential of the Tashkent Innovative Scientific and Industrial Pharmaceutical Cluster as a platform for joint projects and localization of production.

The sides expressed support for the establishment in Uzbekistan, with the participation of Indian companies, of new medical centres, laboratories and joint pharmaceutical enterprises.

They reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation through cultural days, festivals, exhibitions and performances by creative groups. The leaders welcomed the signing of a cultural exchange programme for 2026–2030 and an agreement on cooperation in archives.

The sides stressed the importance of cooperation in preserving and studying world heritage sites and welcomed the signed letter of intent on the conservation and restoration of the ancient Buddhist monuments of Fayaz-Tepa and Kara-Tepa.

The leaders agreed to strengthen sports cooperation, including exchanges of experience in training athletes and coaches in badminton, archery and chess. They also noted the role of yoga in strengthening humanitarian ties and welcomed cooperation between the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan and India’s Ministry of AYUSH.

The sides also welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in traditional medicine.

International cooperation

The leaders reaffirmed the central role of the United Nations in maintaining global peace and security and called for comprehensive reform of the organization, including the Security Council, to make it more representative and effective.

Uzbekistan confirmed its support for India’s candidacy for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

The sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as an important platform for building mutual trust and expanding regional cooperation.

President Mirziyoyev congratulated Prime Minister Modi on India’s chairmanship of BRICS in 2026. Modi expressed confidence in Uzbekistan’s successful chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027–2030 and confirmed India’s readiness, as a founding member of the movement, to continue supporting it.

The leaders highlighted the role of the International Big Cat Alliance and the International Solar Alliance as platforms for developing global cooperation. The Indian side welcomed Uzbekistan’s interest in joining these organizations.

At the conclusion of the statement, Prime Minister Modi expressed his sincere gratitude to the president and people of Uzbekistan for their warm hospitality and invited President Mirziyoyev to visit India on a reciprocal visit. The timing of the visit will be determined through diplomatic channels.