India Asserts Central Asia Pivot Amid Fluid Geopolitics

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PM Modi Meets Central Asian Foreign Ministers, Reaffirms Commitment to Stronger Ties and Collective Fight Against Terrorism

By TRH News Desk

NEW DELHI, June 6 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in New Delhi, underlining India’s deep historical ties and its strategic commitment to enhancing cooperation with Central Asia across key sectors.

Prime Minister’s meeting with Central Asian nations’ foreign ministers came amid India firmly raising terrorism plank against Pakistan on the global stage. Also, the Central Asian nations hold centre stage to India’s ‘Look North’ policy.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said he was “delighted” to meet the visiting dignitaries and expressed eagerness to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, connectivity, energy, fintech, food security, and health.

“We stand firm and resolute in our collective fight against terrorism,” he stated.

The Foreign Ministers’ visit to New Delhi coincided with the 4th Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar earlier in the day. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the ministers briefed Modi on the “positive and productive” outcomes of the dialogue.

The Prime Minister emphasized that India’s ties with Central Asia remain a foreign policy priority. “Building upon our strong people-to-people bonds, we aim for greater economic interconnections, expanded connectivity, enhanced defence and security cooperation, and collaboration in emerging areas,” he conveyed during the meeting.

Underscoring the geopolitical significance of the partnership, Modi said a robust India-Central Asia relationship acts as a “force multiplier” in tackling shared regional and global challenges.

Significantly, the visiting ministers strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and expressed solidarity with India in its fight against cross-border terrorism.

Jaishankar, in his post on X, noted that the dialogue saw wide-ranging and fruitful discussions on regional security, technology, development partnerships, and people-to-people ties.

He said he was “confident” the day’s deliberations would forge an “even closer and deeper India-Central Asia partnership.”

Modi also extended a formal invitation to the leaders of all five Central Asian nations to participate in the Second India-Central Asia Summit, to be hosted in India.

India is firmly making bridges with the Central Asian nations even while China claims to hold leverage with deep ties. With Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), China has made bold push into the economic integration of Central Asian nations through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

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