Modi discusses steps to widen strategic ties with leaders of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging dialogue in Bishkek with two key leaders from Eurasia seeking to expand India’s strategic footprints in the region.

In his meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including in defence, economic, pharma, mining, education and cultural fields.

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Pashinyan briefed PM Modi on the current status of the implementation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement.

Amid the prevailing geo-politics in Eurasia and helping Yerevan to create deterrence India has emerged as Armenia's largest defence supplier, with bilateral military trade surpassing $2 billion through major hardware procurement and recent co-production agreements. Both nations recently signed memorandums for research, development, and shared production in the defence sector.

Armenia became the first international buyer of Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers. Armenia has also purchased Akash missiles, medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited.

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With Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the PM reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the Strategic Partnership between India and the Kyrgyz Republic. Both countries share deep concerns over regional security threats, including international terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking. India and Kyrgyzstan hold joint military exercises and engage in military-technical cooperation, including training Kyrgyz military officers in India.

Modi and the Kyrgyz agreed to further enhance economic and commercial cooperation, taking into account the complementarities between the two economies, according to a MEA readout. They also discussed growing people-to-people ties, including through student exchanges and cultural collaborations.