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Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a virtual interaction with Mr. Manish Prabhat, Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan, on ‘India-Uzbekistan Relations and the regional dynamics’ on October 4, 2021, to discuss the current status of Indo-Uzbek relations and regional security and strategic dimensions. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, delivered the opening remarks. Amb Amar Sinha, Amb. P. S. Raghvan, Amb Gautam Mukhopadhyay, Amb Sanjay Singh, Amb D P Srivastava, Amb Vinod Kumar, Amb Anil Trigunayat, Lt Gen Sawhney, and Amb Skand Tayal also participated and took part in the deliberations. Amb Manish Prabhat highlighted that Uzbekistan is India’s extended neighbour and a strategic partner. India and Uzbekistan share close historical and cultural links dating back to ancient times. This relationship is multifaceted and includes cooperation in political, trade-economic, education, science and technology, industry, agriculture, civil aviation and defence sectors. With the Taliban takeover of Kabul, there is an urgent need for cooperation between India and Central Asian countries to curb the consequences of this development.

Salient Points that emerged from the discussion are as follows:-

• A significant step in Tashkent’s foreign policy is a proactive approach towards Afghanistan. Uzbekistan has expanded bilateral ties with Afghanistan and has actively engaged in multilateral efforts to resolve the Afghan problem in the recent past. In March 2018, Tashkent initiated and hosted a high-level international conference on Afghanistan, “Peace Process, Security Cooperation and Regional Interaction,” that made an essential contribution to the peace process.
• India and Uzbekistan share the goal of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. To this end, India has rendered 3 billion US dollars worth of assistants to the country. Therefore, both countries should work together to make Afghanistan stable.
• Uzbekistan’s foreign policy has undergone a total transformation under the pragmatic leadership of President Shawkat Mirziyoyev. The new regime in Uzbekistan has shown more incredible perseverance and accountability for creating a favourable environment in the country and playing a constructive role in regional integration in Central Asia. Intra-regional trade and movement of people have increased, and border crossings have been smoothening.
• President Mirziyoyev’s efforts to intensify regional integration in Central Asia have succeeded. The First ‘Consultative Meeting’ of the Heads of all the Central Asian Republics was held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital city, on March 15, 2018. The Second ‘Consultative Meeting’ was held on November 29, 2019, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Third Meeting was held in Turkmenistan in August 2021. In these meetings, various topics related to regional development and ways to smoothen bilateral and multifaceted transactions were discussed. Subsequently, a variety of suggestions emerged after the discussions.
• The ongoing efforts to create a positive regional environment in Central Asia benefit India’s engagement with the region. It will expedite bridging the connectivity gap between India and Central Asia and enhance cooperation in trade and economic sectors.

The Webinar generated good interest, and there were many points of discussion.