PM Modi receives a warm welcome by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan. (Photo X/MEA)India and Uzbekistan decided to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, discussed establishing a framework for long-term supply of uranium, and set a bilateral trade target of $5 billion by 2030.These were the key takeaways after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on Sunday for bilateral talks.The Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of India-Uzbekistan relations.“The talks focussed on expanding cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, infrastructure, critical minerals, mining, defence and security, innovation, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, health, information technology, digital public infrastructure including UPI and education, among others. They set a target of $5 billion of bilateral trade by 2030,” Jaiswal said in a statement.The two sides decided to elevate bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, reflecting the growing depth and expanding scope of cooperation, he said.“Both leaders witnessed the exchange of several MoUs and agreements covering a wide range of areas, including mining, culture, education, tourism, ayurveda, among others. A Letter of Intent for the restoration and conservation of the Buddhist sites of Fayaz Tepa and Kara Tepa in Uzbekistan was also agreed upon,” he said.Modi landed in Tashkent on Saturday for a two-day visit to bolster ties with Uzbekistan in areas including trade, clean energy, and connectivity.Story continues below this adNew Delhi has been looking to procure uranium from Uzbekistan to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes.“We are celebrating the 15th anniversary of our strategic partnership. I am delighted that, on this special occasion, we are elevating our ties to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Modi said. “We will move forward by setting concrete goals within this framework,” he added in Hindi.“We had a productive discussion over dinner last night and took several important decisions,” Modi said. “We will establish a Coordination Council at the level of foreign ministers to provide direction to all aspects of our cooperation through close coordination.”The prime minister said both sides would also elevate their existing joint commission from the level of secretaries to the ministerial level. “Both sides will jointly organise a business summit featuring business leaders from both nations. We will also establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium,” he said.Story continues below this adModi’s four-day trip to Central Asia began Saturday with a dinner meeting with Mirziyoyev in Tashkent as the two sides pledged to deepen cooperation in areas from trade and tourism to health, energy, and defence as part of a “shared vision”.Modi, who left Delhi Saturday morning, will be in Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders’ summit from August 31 to September 1.Modi was received at the airport by Mirziyoyev. After landing, he wrote on X, “Landed in Tashkent to a warm welcome by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Grateful to him for the special gesture. This is my fourth visit to Uzbekistan, reflecting the depth and growing momentum of our bilateral relations.”Modi visited the Yangi Uzbekistan Monument in Tashkent along with Mirziyoyev and laid a wreath there. He also witnessed a Yoga event organised by people in Uzbekistan.Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting and writing explainers and analysis on foreign affairs for about 19 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He won the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award, 2023, for the second time for his reporting of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More