The first India-Central Asia Summit: A decisive push to revive regional linkages

A momentous step to significantly reinforce partnership between India and Central Asia was taken at the First India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in a virtual format on January 27.  

A highly ambitious and visionary Delhi Declaration was issued at the conclusion of the Summit. Some of the major areas identified for enhanced focus include trade and investment, connectivity, development cooperation, including capacity building, security and defence, culture and people to people contacts.

The most consequential decision taken at the Summit is to institutionalise the framework for India-Central Asia cooperation at a regional level and to hold Summits every two years. The next Summit will hence be held in 2024. Such summit meetings in future are likely to take place in person and not through the virtual medium. This will provide opportunity to the leaders to have one-to-one meetings and take their bilateral relations forward. In addition, it was agreed to hold regular meetings between Ministers of foreign affairs, trade and culture, as well as Secretaries of National Security Councils to advance cooperation in these areas. Meetings at the foreign minister level are already taking place under the rubric of the India-Central Asia Dialogue which was launched at Samarkand, Uzbekistan in January, 2019. The third meeting of this forum took place in December, 2021 in New Delhi.

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