New Delhi hosts “India-Central Asia” meeting of foreign ministers
The situation in Afghanistan and the expansion of opportunities for regional development cooperation will be key themes in the third edition of India's dialogue with the five Central Asian countries to be held on Sunday.
The day before, on Saturday, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hosted a dinner for the foreign ministers arrived in New Delhi. A cultural show was also organized in their honor.
“Received Central Asian Foreign Ministers for a welcome dinner ahead of our dialogue tomorrow. The cultural show was just another reminder of our closeness,” Jaishankar tweeted.
The ministers of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are taking part in the dialogue.
In the past few years, India has focused on expanding cooperation with Central Asian countries. India's enhanced interaction with the region follows a five-country tour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2015, which has resulted in the development of bilateral ties in a range of areas.
Recent events in Afghanistan have confirmed the importance of the Central Asian countries, three of which - Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan-border the war-torn country.
On November 10, National Security Advisers of all five Central Asian countries took part in a regional dialogue on Afghanistan hosted by India. The NSA of Russia and Iran also took part in it.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Central Asian leaders to New Delhi to celebrate Republic Day on January 26, 2022.
During the ministerial visit, the Indian government is also expected to receive official responses from the five leaders to attend the summit, The Hindu notes.
The conference of the Foreign Ministers will also be devoted to trade and relations with the region. Of particular interest are plans to intensify discussions on the Chabahar port route between India and Central Asia.
The previous, second meeting of the India-Central Asia Ministerial Dialogue was held in October 2020 in the format of a video conference.
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