Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-day trip to Central Asia began Saturday with a dinner meeting with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent as the two sides pledged to deepen cooperation in a sweeping range of areas — from trade and tourism to health, energy and defence — as part of a “shared vision”.Modi, who left Delhi Saturday morning, is on a two-day state visit to Uzbekistan after which he will be in Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders’ summit August 31-September 1.He was received at the airport by President Mirziyoyev. After landing, Modi said 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.”Also Read | PM Modi visit to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic: Why Central Asia matters for IndiaModi later visited the Yangi Uzbekistan Monument in Tashkent along with Mirziyoyev, and laid a wreath at the monument.In his departure statement, Modi had said: “In recent years, India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership has seen significant advancement. I look forward to my discussions with President Mirziyoyev on further deepening our cooperation in trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence, energy, and on advancing our shared visions of Viksit Bharat and Yangi Uzbekistan.”He said he would visit the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies (TSUOS), an affirmation of the close “cultural and people-to-people ties that bind our two countries.”This is the PM’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan and second bilateral visit — he visited Uzbekistan in July 2015 (bilateral), June 2016 and in September 2022. The leaders last met briefly in September 2025 on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China.Story continues below this adC Raja Mohan writes | India’s Central Asia strategy needs less romance, more realismAccording to MEA’s Secretary (West) Sibi George, the PM’s discussions with Mirziyoyev will touch upon “trade and investment, critical minerals, healthcare, business-to-business engagement, education, space, technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges.”India is among the top 10 trading partners of Uzbekistan with bilateral trade in 2025-26 close to US$ 1 billion. Indian investment in Uzbekistan is close to another $1 billion invested in renewables, construction, pharmaceutical, mining, IT, education, healthcare, engineering, textile and agriculture.On Sunday, Modi is expected to start the day with a yoga programme at the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan. After that, he will meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace for bilateral engagements.The Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan was established in 2018 and nurtured by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) which had deputed a yoga teacher to it for four years. With India’s support, Uzbekistan became the first country in Central Asia to conduct yoga certification examinations under the Yoga Certification Board (YCB) of the Ministry of AYUSH. So far, under YFU, 528 Uzbeks have obtained yoga certifications. YFU participated in the first World Yogasana Championship and was placed 6th winning 25 medals including one gold medal.Story continues below this adAlso Read | The SCO matters more to India now than it once didBeyond yoga, there is cooperation in arts and culture. There are two ICCR chairs in Uzbekistan. The Hindi Chair has been in operation since 2024 in TSUOS (Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies) and Hindi has been taught there since 1947. TSUOS has done work in promoting Hindi language and literature, translating the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand and Amrita Pritam. Dr Mohd Ali translated the Valmiki Ramayana into Uzbek language in 1978.Officials said that close to 14,000 Uzbek nationals visited India for medical tourism, making Uzbekistan the third largest source country for medical tourism to India. Leading Indian hospital groups are actively involved in Uzbekistan and conduct OPD camps focusing on cardiology, oncology and neurology.In education, over 2,700 Uzbek nationals have been trained so far under various programmes. A total of 426 candidates have availed various ICCR scholarships. There are four Indian universities in Uzbekistan: Amity University in Tashkent, Sharda University in Andijan, Sambhram University in Jizzakh, and Acharya University in Bukhara.At the political level, India and Uzbekistan interact under the India-Central Asia framework in India-Central Asia Summit and India-Central Asia Dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level. The first India-Central Asia Summit was held on January 27, 2022.Story continues below this adOfficials said the two countries cooperate closely at several multilateral platforms such as the UN, G20, BRICS and SCO. Uzbekistan, as a partner country in BRICS, participated in various BRICS events organised under India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026, officials said.From Tashkent, Modi will travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, to participate in the 26th SCO Summit, marking 25 years of the SCO.Calling it an “important organisation”, Modi said, “India has been an active and constructive member of the SCO since 2017. I look forward to advancing India’s vision for the region, anchored in Security, Connectivity and Opportunity, and to working with fellow members for a region free from the scourge of terrorism, separatism and extremism, which continue to threaten peace and stability in our neighbourhood and beyond.”“I also look forward to meeting President Sadyr Zhaparov and other SCO leaders, and to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games, a celebration of the rich living heritage of Central Asia that India holds in deep respect,” he said. Modi is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, officials said.Story continues below this adFor India, engagement with the Central Asian countries is important because of a wide variety of reasons: security cooperation in the wake of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, to counter China’s influence in the strategically vital region, establish connectivity project including the International North South Transit Corridor (INSTC), meet its growing energy needs (Kazakhstan has uranium reserves and Turkmenistan is part of the proposed TAPI, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline).