India, Uzbekistan elevate ties to comprehensive strategic partnership, deepen critical minerals cooperation

Tashkent: India and Uzbekistan on Sunday elevated their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev placing a strong focus on cooperation in critical minerals, uranium supplies and economic security during their talks in Tashkent.

As part of his state visit to Uzbekistan, PM Modi held wide-ranging discussions with President Mirziyoyev at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace covering trade and investment, critical minerals, defence and security, innovation and start-ups, digital public infrastructure and UPI, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, agriculture, education, tourism, space and people-to-people ties.

PM Modi welcomed the progress made towards a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India and underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in critical minerals.

The focus on these resources assumes significance as both countries seek to build more resilient supply chains for minerals that are crucial for clean energy, advanced manufacturing and strategic technologies.

The two leaders also set an ambitious target of $5 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and called for the organisation of a business summit to further expand economic and investment ties.

They agreed to establish a Foreign Ministers-led mechanism to take forward the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and decided to raise the existing Inter-Governmental Commission to the ministerial level.

The talks also highlighted the long-standing civilisational and people-to-people connections between India and Uzbekistan. PM Modi appreciated the growing popularity of Yoga in Uzbekistan and earlier attended a Yoga session organised by the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan.

Marking the 60th anniversary of the passing of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, PM Modi announced the Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarship for Hindi language for Uzbek students.

India also announced a $1 million grant for Uzbekistan’s environmental rehabilitation efforts in the Aral Sea region.

IANS