Your Excellency,
Distinguished Ms. Nutan Kapur Mahawar,
First of all, let me once again extend my sincere congratulations on India’s Independence Day, celebrated on 15 August. In turn, on 1 September Uzbekistan marked the 34th anniversary of its independence.
This symbolic coincidence of dates reflects the spiritual closeness of our peoples and the shared aspirations of our nations for freedom, development, and prosperity.
1. It is a great honor for me to meet with you today.
Our professional paths, in many ways, are similar. You have an impressive diplomatic background, beginning with your service at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the Embassy in Moscow, and in senior positions at the Ministry of External Affairs. For my part, I also pursued a diplomatic career, representing Uzbekistan in the United States, Canada, and Brazil. That is why I particularly appreciate your ability to combine diplomacy with expert and analytical work.
Your leadership at ICWA — from organizing international dialogues and discussions to coordinating research and publishing projects — plays an important role in shaping India’s approach to international relations. It is a privilege for us to have the opportunity to engage with you and the Council under your guidance.
2. ICWA is the oldest and one of the most prominent Indian think tanks on foreign policy, enjoying well-deserved authority within academic and expert circles.
It has become a key platform for providing intellectual support to Indian diplomacy, as well as a meeting point for international partners, leading universities, and research institutions.
Its academic journal India Quarterly has long been a venue for serious scholarly debate, and in 2001 the Parliament of India officially recognized ICWA as an “Institution of National Importance”.
For the International Institute of Central Asia (IICA), building a partnership with ICWA is of particular importance, as we see in it not only a respected center of expertise but also a natural partner in fostering mutual understanding and cooperation between our countries and our regions.
3. Allow me to briefly introduce our Institute. The International Institute of Central Asia was established in 2021 on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Since its inception, the Institute has served as a platform for strengthening multifaceted cooperation among the countries of Central Asia and expanding ties between our peoples.
Our research priorities include political and social dynamics, regional security and stability, building economic resilience and connectivity, water management, climate change, and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage.
We attach particular importance to cooperation within the “C5+” formats, including Central Asia–India, as well as to building partnerships with leading research centers across the world.
4. Turning to Uzbekistan–India relations, I would like to emphasize that in recent years they have been experiencing genuine momentum. Just last month, on 12 August, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders discussed ways to further deepen the strategic partnership. It was highlighted that bilateral trade had grown by 60% since the beginning of the year, about 40 new joint ventures were launched, and the pipeline of prospective projects with leading Indian companies reached $2 billion.
Special attention was given to promising cooperation projects in pharmaceuticals, chemical industry, digital economy, energy, construction, and agriculture.
In Uzbekistan, four branches of Indian universities are successfully operating, while cultural exchanges, mutual Days of Culture and film festivals are also expanding.
The two sides also touched upon transport corridors within the framework of the North–South route.
These discussions were followed by a meeting between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the SCO Summit in Tianjin on 1 September.
5. A special place in our relations belongs to the “Central Asia–India” dialogue. The first summit in this format was held in January 2022 at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On that occasion, the President of Uzbekistan highlighted the importance of the centuries-old ties uniting our peoples and outlined strategic priorities for cooperation.
Among them are developing human capital through education and healthcare, deepening economic partnership, expanding cooperation in digital technologies, creating new transport corridors, advancing green energy, and promoting cultural and humanitarian exchanges.
Within this format, we see significant potential for joint initiatives, particularly in innovation, science, education, and sustainable development.
At the same time, the “Central Asia–India” dialogue is a natural continuation and deepening of the broader agenda of Central and South Asian cooperation. Let me recall that, at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the international conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” was held in Tashkent on 15–16 July 2021, with the participation of India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The Forum was an important step toward building a new architecture of cooperation aimed at fostering trust, good-neighborliness, and interaction in the interests of the peoples of both regions. It is important to note that Uzbekistan and India demonstrate a strong determination to consistently advance interregional connectivity, turning it into a key driver of sustainable growth and prosperity.
6. Earlier this year, on 20–21 May, during the “Termez Dialogue” conference on Central and South Asian connectivity, I met with your Deputy, Mr. Prashant Rise, with whom I discussed the current state and future prospects of our cooperation.
And today, we are moving toward signing an agreement between our two institutions. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between IICA and ICWA represents the first step toward a systematic partnership.
We expect this document to serve as a foundation for implementing joint research projects, exchanges of scholars, organization of conferences and expert meetings, and preparation of joint publications.
In this context, and in the run-up to the next “Central Asia–India” Summit, which is already on the agenda, we would like to propose organizing a Central Asia–India Think Tank Forum together with you. This initiative would allow our expert communities to discuss key areas of cooperation and provide substantive recommendations for our leaders.
We are confident that our partnership will make a meaningful contribution not only to strengthening the expert dialogue but also to advancing Uzbekistan–India relations, as well as cooperation between Central and South Asia as a whole.
Thank you.
