Modi starts a four-day Central Asia trip
Tashkent first, then the SCO summit in Bishkek. Putin is on the sidelines list.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a four-day Central Asia trip on Saturday. Tashkent comes first. Bishkek follows.
The Ministry of External Affairs said he will be in Uzbekistan on 29 and 30 August. The visit is at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This is Modi's fourth trip to the country.
The two sides will hold delegation-level talks. The aim is to strengthen the strategic partnership. They will review trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education, and people-to-people ties. The leaders will also discuss Viksit Bharat 2047 and Uzbekistan-2030.
Modi is expected to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri memorial in Tashkent. He is also expected at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
From Tashkent he travels to Bishkek. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov issued the invitation. The Indian Express said the stop covers the 26th SCO summit from 31 August to 1 September.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation marks 25 years this year. India has been a full member since 2017. The MEA said the summit will spend time on the region's security picture.
Modi will address the meeting. He will put India's priorities as security, connectivity, and opportunity. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are among the leaders likely to attend.
Sibi George, Secretary (West) at the MEA, said the SCO was set up to counter terrorism, separatism, and extremism. Those remain a challenge, he said.
Modi will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines. Putin is on that list.
The Tashkent talks will set the next stretch of India-Uzbekistan work. The Bishkek summit is the main multilateral stop.
Modi is also set to attend the opening of the sixth World Nomad Games. The event celebrates Central Asian cultural heritage.