16.09.2022

On September 16, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, who is in Uzbekistan to attend the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of Uzbekistan sincerely congratulated on the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.

The sides discussed the issues of further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and expanding the scope of strategic partnership.

The observed dynamics of the development of bilateral Uzbek – Indian relations and the readiness of the parties for joint actions for their further expansion in all areas of mutual interest were noted with satisfaction.

The leaders noted the growth in the volume of bilateral trade. The trade turnover has grown by 30% since the beginning of this year. The number of joint ventures has increased to 5 times over the past six years.

The investment projects in IT, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and tourism are being successfully initiated. The plans include bringing mutual trade up to $1 billion in the coming years.

The need for the speedy adoption and implementation of cooperation programs in trade, economic, investment, scientific and educational fields, as well as the agreements on the promotion and mutual protection of investments, was noted.

The leaders paid a special attention to strengthening the partnership among the regions of the two countries.

The interest of Uzbekistan in strengthening the transport links with India, including using the «Chabahar» Port, was emphasized.

A separate topic of the talks was the expansion of cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In recent years, three Indian universities have been established in Uzbekistan.

The results of the first «India – Central Asia» online summit were highly appreciated. The importance of the practical implementation of the agreements reached as a part of this platform was emphasized. The President of Uzbekistan expressed gratitude to the Indian side for supporting the resolution of the UN General Assembly on strengthening the connectivity between Central and South Asia.

There was an exchange of views on the issues of humanitarian aid and economic assistance to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Narendra Modi highly appreciated the Uzbekistan’s efforts in this direction.

An agreement was reached on taking the additional measures to promote the joint projects and cooperation programs in the priority areas of the interaction.

The meeting was held in an open, warm and friendly atmosphere.