India to host fourth edition of dialogue with Central Asian states on June 6

India has stepped up its engagement with the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in recent years, especially to counter China’s influence in the region

New Delhi: India will host the fourth edition of a dialogue with the five Central Asian states on June 6 to review relations with the strategic region and to explore ways to tackle shared challenges such as terrorism, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The last edition of the dialogue with the Central Asian states was held in New Delhi in December 2021. (ANI File Photo)

The India-Central Asia Dialogue on Friday will be preceded by the India-Central Asia Business Council on June 5, which will focus on trade and investment issues. The last edition of the dialogue with the Central Asian states was held in New Delhi in December 2021.

India has stepped up its engagement with the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in recent years, especially to counter China’s influence in the region. In 2020, India offered a $1-billion line of credit for infrastructure development projects in the Central Asian countries and it has also implemented a range of small community development projects in these countries.

Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Murat Nurtleu, Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, Tajikistan’s foreign minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Turkmenistan’s foreign minister Rashid Meredov and

Uzbekistan’s foreign minister Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich are set to participate in the dialogue on Friday with external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

Jaishankar is expected to hold separate bilateral meetings with his five Central Asian foreign ministers, who will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

India’s ties with the Central Asian region got a major boost when Modi hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit with the presidents of the five countries in January 2022. Several Central Asian states have also expressed interest in working with India to utilise Iran’s Chabahar port, where an Indian state-run firm operates a terminal, to bolster trade in the land-locked region.

Countering terrorism and radicalisation has also emerged as a key pillar of cooperation between India and the Central Asian states. In the past, India has coordinated with these five countries on the situation in Afghanistan. India has also organised customised training programmes for professionals from the Central Asian states in counter-terrorism and cyber security.

At the same time, the India-Central Asia Business Council, which functions as a B2B body under the India-Central Asia Dialogue, has focused on promoting business links, facilitating understanding of business regulations, and boosting mutual investments.