India, Uzbekistan step up strategic ties, seal long-term Uranium deal

New Delhi: India and Uzbekistan on Sunday elevated their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and agreed to establish a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India as part of cooperation in civil nuclear energy. The decisions were taken following the summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, aimed at expanding New Delhi's outreach to Central Asia.

The two leaders witnessed the exchange of several agreements covering areas, including mining, culture, education, tourism and Ayurveda. Building on their multilateral cooperation, the new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and bilateral agreements, Modi and Mirziyoyev reaffirmed their commitment to long-term, mutually beneficial cooperation for both peoples and future generations.

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They agreed to deepen political dialogue and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across trade, economy and investment, transport connectivity, digital transformation (IT, AI, space, cybersecurity), energy transition, critical minerals, food security, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and education. The two sides also agreed to establish a Coordination Council at the level of foreign ministers to provide direction to all aspects of bilateral cooperation.

The existing joint commission will also be elevated from the secretary level to the ministerial level. Uzbekistan has supplied uranium to India in the past and holds approximately 139,000 tonnes of identified uranium reserves, ranking around 10th globally in total reserves and fifth in annual production.

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"Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia and is at the heart of India's engagement in the region," Modi said in his remarks to the press following the summit, adding that a stronger India-Uzbekistan partnership would be a "powerful force for peace, progress and prosperity in Central Asia". The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism and rejected any justification for terrorism on any ground.

With an aim to realise the untapped potential in bilateral trade, Delhi and Tashkent set a target of increasing annual bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2030. They also decided to create a Joint Working Group to address non-tariff issues and investment barriers, with a particular focus on key sectors of bilateral trade. India and Uzbekistan will jointly organise a business summit involving business leaders from both countries, Modi said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the "Oliy Darajali Do'stlik" Order (Order of Highest Friendship) by the President of Uzbekistan. It is Uzbekistan's highest honour for foreign leaders.