PM Narendra Modi to host first India-Central Asia Summit on Jan 27
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the first India-Central Asia Summit on Thursday, with the goal of taking bilateral ties to "newer heights."
The virtual event will be attended by Presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The summit displays the importance attached by the leaders of both sides to a comprehensive and enduring India-Central Asia partnership.
Besides regional security and the Afghan crisis, trade and connectivity, development partnerships, culture and people-to-people ties will be the key points of discussion.
Also Read | Coronavirus update: India reports 2.86 lakh Covid-19 cases in 24 hours
In an earlier statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that this will be the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders.
"The first India-Central Asia Summit reflects India's growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India's "Extended Neighbourhood," said the ministry.
In 2015, Prime Minister Modi paid a historic visit to all of Central Asia. Following that, high-level discussions took place in bilateral and multilateral forums.
The establishment of the India-Central Asia Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers, whose third meeting took place in New Delhi from December 18-20, 2021, has given a boost to India-Central Asia relations.
The involvement of the Secretaries of Central Asian National Security Councils at the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, which took place in New Delhi on November 10, 2021, outlined a shared regional approach to Afghanistan.
Also Read | Punjab extends Covid restrictions till February 1; read details -PTC News
Also Read | 
