Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed concern on the development in Afghanistan and stressed on creating an “ambitious road map” for “regional connectivity and integration”. The PM was hosting the first India-Central Asian countries summit.
The virtual event was attended by Presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
All of them greeted Modi on the just concluded Republic Day as India entered the 75th anniversary of its Independence.
Stating that the diplomatic relations between India and Central Asian countries have “completed 30 fruitful years”, the Prime Minister expressed his concern about the developments in Afghanistan and called for greater interaction between India and the Central Asia countries.
The Prime Minister said “regional integration connectivity and integration” is important and there is a need to “make an ambitious road map to have regional connectivity and integration”.
“India has deep relations with all of the Central Asian countries. Kazakhstan has become an important partner in India’s energy security. I express my condolences at the recent loss of lives in Kazakhstan,” Modi said as he welcomed Central Asian heads of states in his opening address.
He said India and Central Asian nations share the same concerns and goals with regard to regional security.
“We are all concerned about the developments in Afghanistan. In this context too, mutual cooperation among us has become more important for regional security and stability,” he said.
Modi said the summit has three key objectives. The first one is to make it clear that mutual cooperation between India and Central Asia is necessary for regional security and prosperity. “I want to make it clear that Central Asia is central to India’s vision of an integrated and stable neighbourhood,” he said.
“The second objective of today’s meeting is to give an effective structure to our cooperation, which will pave the way for the establishment of a platform for regular interaction among all stakeholders,” Modi said.
He said the third objective of the summit is to prepare an ambitious road map for our cooperation, which will enable them to adopt an integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation.
The Presidents of the Central Asian countries in their address pointed to the age-old ties with India and its “unique civilisation”.
Modi had paid historic visits to all Central Asian countries in 2015. Following this, there has been continuous high-level dialogue at bilateral and multilateral forums.
The first India-Central Asia Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs had said, is a reflection of the country’s growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India’s “extended neighbourhood”.
