New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hosting the first India-Central Asia Summit aiming to take international relations between India and Central Asian countries to new levels, Asian News International reported.
The event will be held on virtual mode and participated by Presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The summit will focus on matters of regional security, trade and connectivity, development partnership, culture, people-to-people relations, as well as Afghanistan issues. The summit underscores the importance, leaders of India and Central Asia had rested on comprehensive and lasting India-Central Asia ties.
Earlier, The Ministry of External Affairs (MHA) had said in a statement that the summit would be the first of its kind between India and Central Asia. It is a reflection of India's growing engagement with the Central Asian nations, which are India's extended neighbourhood, the statement said.
In 2015, PM Modi had visited all the Central Asian countries and later, there were remarkable bilateral exchanges and multilateral forums. The India-Central Asia Dialogue of foreign ministers, which's third meeting happened in New Delhi from December 18 to 20, have given momentum to the India-Central Asia ties.
Regarding Afghanistan, the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan held on November 10, 2021, in which Secretaries of National Security Councils of Central Asian countries participated and held in New Delhi, drafted a common regional approach towards the country.