Both countries also agreed to widen counter-terror partnership

While holding a virtual summit with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concern on growing extremism, fundamentalism and separatism in the world.

Stressing that India and Uzbekistan stand firmly against terrorism, he said both countries have also an identical approach on regional security issues.

“We both agree that the Afghan peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. It is essential that the gains of the last two decades are preserved,” the Prime Minister Modi said in his opening remarks at India-Uzbekistan bilateral summit.

“India and Uzbekistan together took the initiative of India-Central Asia Dialogue which commenced its journey from Samarkand last year,” the Prime Minister added.

With regard to bilateral engagement, he said in the last few years economic partnership between the two countries has strengthened. He, however, said India wants to intensify its development partnership with Uzbekistan.

“I am glad to know that many projects are being considered under the Indian Line of Credit. We are ready to share India's expertise and experience in compliance with your development priorities,” the Prime Minister said.

“India has immense potential in areas such as infrastructure, IT, education, health, training and capacity building, which can be of much use to Uzbekistan. The establishment of a Joint Working Group on Agriculture between our two countries is a notable and positive step. This shall facilitate opportunities to expand our mutual agricultural trade helping the farming community of both the countries,” he added.

As for the India-Uzbekistan security partnership, the Prime Minister recalled the joint military exercise between the armed forces of the two countries in 2019.

“Last year our armed forces had their first joint military exercise. We are jointly moving ahead in the areas of space and atomic energy too,” the Prime Minister said.

He said similar to Uzbekistan, India too is moving ahead on the path of reforms

“This will expand the possibilities of mutual cooperation between us in the post-COVID era,” the Prime Minister maintained, expressing his satisfaction that during the difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic, both countries supported each other—whether it was related to the supply of medicines or safe repatriation of each other’s citizens.

On this occasion both countries also oversaw signing of nine MoUs on solar energy, standardization of weights and measures and others.