India, Central Asia to expand counter-terror, security ties

India and Central Asian states on Thursday decided to widen counter-terror, trade and connectivity initiatives as external affairs minister S Jaishankar met Central Asian ministers here on the eve of the third India-Central Asia Dialogue.

During bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, there were detailed discussions on expanding security cooperation in the backdrop of Pahalgam terror attacks, besides boosting trade ties and connectivity initiatives.

Central Asian states of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have been facing increasing threats from cross-border terror infrastructure in the Af-Pak region.


Later, addressing the India-Central Asia Business Council, Jaishankar said: "There is a need to diversify our trade baskets so that all of us have more options and we have more competition and in a way we are looking for new opportunities and I would like our friends from Central Asian economies to appreciate that an economy today which is in excess of $4 trillion dollars, which is growing at 6-8% annually, it will create new demands for products, for services..."

"I would certainly support...the steps we could take to facilitate mutual settlement of trade in our national currencies," the minister said.