Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a four-day visit to Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic beginning August 29, 2026. The high-level tour focuses on deepening strategic partnerships, expanding Eurasian connectivity via the INSTC and Chabahar port, and attending the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a four-day visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from August 29 to September 1. The Prime Minister’s Office stated on Friday that during the visit, he will hold high-level bilateral talks, participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, and engage with leaders from across the region.
Bilateral Diplomacy and Economic Stakes in Tashkent
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tashkent Bilateral Talks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived for a state visit in Uzbekistan, marking his fourth trip to the country and his second State visit after 2015, at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. In Tashkent, Modi will meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with talks expected to focus on trade, investment, defence, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, energy, digital connectivity, education, and technology. India and Uzbekistan are also looking to expand cooperation in areas such as space and emerging technologies.
Security, Regional Connectivity, and the SCO Summit in Bishkek
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek
Modi will then travel to Bishkek to attend the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where India’s priorities will include security, connectivity, and opportunity. The summit coincides with the organisation’s 25th anniversary. A bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected on the sidelines. Modi will additionally attend the opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games, highlighting India’s wider engagement with Central Asia.
While several Indian Prime Ministers, right from Jawaharlal Nehru, have visited Central Asia, India began its focused engagement with these five countries — Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan — only in 2012 when it framed the Connect Central Asia
policy. The policy got a fillip when Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to travel to all five Central Asian countries in July 2015. Modi’s visit marks a continuation of this outreach.
Navigating Geopolitical Competition and Overland Constraints
Kazakhstan Uranium Reserves and Regional Resources
Central Asia has always been seen as Russia’s backyard, featuring a 20-30% Russian population where the language is commonly spoken. The strategic importance of the region is underscored by the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to visit Central Asia in September 2022 and visited four of the five Central Asian countries as his first overseas trip after two years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The region is considered to be extremely rich in mineral and natural resources. Kazakhstan has one of the world’s biggest reserves of uranium alongside coal, lead, zinc, gold, and iron ore. The Kyrgyz Republic has gold and hydro-power. Turkmenistan has one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas. Tajikistan also has huge hydro-power potential, and Uzbekistan has gold, uranium, and natural gas. Understandably, the world wants to enter this region to tap into the vast potential it offers.
For India, engagement with the Central Asian countries is important for a variety of reasons, including security cooperation in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, countering China’s influence, connectivity plans including the International North South Transit Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar port, and energy needs such as Kazakhstan’s uranium reserves. Landlocked yet resource-rich, the five republics sit at the crossroads of South Asia, West Asia, Russia, and China. They possess substantial reserves of oil, natural gas, uranium, and increasingly sought-after critical minerals and rare earths. For an energy-importing India pursuing industrial modernisation and supply-chain resilience, these resources offer valuable diversification. The region also shares India’s concerns over terrorism, extremism, and instability emanating from the Af-Pak region. Yet geography has long constrained engagement, as Pakistan blocks direct overland access, forcing reliance on longer multimodal connectivity routes via Iran’s Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor.
China has gradually become the dominant economic actor, while Russia retains residual security influence even as the Ukraine conflict strains its bandwidth. Turkey, the US, and European partners have expanded their own multi-vector outreach. The Central Asian States themselves pursue balanced foreign policies, seeking partners that do not come with hegemonic baggage.
Cultural Outreach and Upcoming Diplomatic Milestones
The visit aims to strengthen strategic partnerships, deepen civilizational links, and advance regional peace, stability, and economic ties. Key focus areas include enhancing Eurasian connectivity through the International North-South Transport Corridor and Chabahar port, expanding market access for Indian pharmaceutical products, and boosting investment opportunities. On the sidelines of the summit, discussions are expected to touch upon counter-terrorism, separatism, and extremism, alongside potential multilateral interactions involving global leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The engagements reflect India’s efforts to shape a multipolar global order and promote Eurasian integration, building on millenia-old civilisational connections.
