Uranium supply, defence, trade: India-Uzbekistan ties get strategic boost

India and Uzbekistan on Sunday agreed to deepen cooperation in trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral delegation-level talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his two-day state visit to the Central Asian country.

The two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership and advance their shared development visions of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Yangi Uzbekistan.'

PM Modi said the two countries are seeking to establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium to India. "We will also establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium," he said while making an address.

PM MODI'S FOURTH UZBEKISTAN VISIT

PM Modi is in Uzbekistan on Mirziyoyev's invitation, and this is his fourth visit to the country. He received a ceremonial welcome before the bilateral talks in Tashkent.

According to the Indian side, the discussions covered trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy. Earlier, PM Modi had said the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership had made significant progress in recent years and expressed his desire to expand cooperation in key sectors.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister also attended a yoga session hosted by the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan. "Yoga has immense appeal in Uzbekistan. It is bringing people and cultures together and strengthening people-to-people ties between India and Uzbekistan," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X.

After the session, PM Modi said Uzbekistan had been a "proud participant" in the first World Yogasana Championship held in Ahmedabad earlier this year and that some of the medal winners were present at the event.

PM LAYS WREATH AT FREEDOM MONUMENT

PM Modi arrived in Tashkent on Saturday and was received at the airport by Mirziyoyev. He later visited Yangi Uzbekistan Park and laid a wreath at the Independence Monument with the Uzbek president.

He also met members of the Indian community at a hotel in Tashkent, where he watched Kathak and Andijan Polka performances by the diaspora, a dance by Uzbek children to the Indian song 'Ude Jab Jab Zulfe Teri,' and a fusion performance of tabla with the traditional Uzbek instruments Doira and Chang.

From Tashkent, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Kyrgyzstan to attend the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31 and September 1 at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov. The summit will mark the SCO's 25th anniversary.

PM Modi will address the summit and highlight India's priorities of "Security, Connectivity and Opportunity", besides holding bilateral meetings with SCO leaders on the sidelines. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games. Overall, the visit combined bilateral talks, cultural engagement and preparations for Modi's participation in the SCO summit.