Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a two-day State Visit to Uzbekistan from August 29 and later travel to Kyrgyzstan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. Modi will visit Uzbekistan at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and is scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with him. The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan, with trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education and people-to-people ties among the key areas.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss new avenues for cooperation in critical minerals, healthcare, space, technology, culture and business-to-business engagement. They will exchange views on advancing their respective development visions, including India's 'Viksit Bharat 2047' and Uzbekistan's 'Uzbekistan-2030' programme.
During his stay in Tashkent, Modi is expected to visit the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. He will also interact with Indologists and scholars, providing an opportunity to highlight the longstanding cultural and academic connections between India and Uzbekistan. This will be Modi's fourth visit to the country.
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India and Uzbekistan have maintained regular engagement through bilateral and multilateral platforms. Modi and Mirziyoyev have met several times in recent years, including on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai, the BRICS Summit in Kazan and the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Uzbekistan has also maintained high-level engagement with India, including President Mirziyoyev's State Visit in 2018.
After concluding his Uzbekistan visit, Modi will travel to Bishkek on August 31 to participate in the 26th SCO Summit. The summit marks the 25th anniversary of the SCO and will be held under the theme '25 Years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity'. Modi is scheduled to address the plenary session and is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders on the sidelines, besides attending the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games.
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