India and Uzbekistan Forge Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Expand Cooperation In Multiple Sectors

India and Uzbekistan have significantly upgraded their bilateral relationship, elevating it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and laying out an ambitious agenda covering trade and investment, defence and security, critical minerals, nuclear energy, connectivity, artificial intelligence, space, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, education and cultural cooperation.

The expanded partnership emerged from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to Uzbekistan from 29 to 30 August 2026, during which he held extensive discussions with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchanged views on major regional and international developments.

The resulting joint statement points to a relationship becoming increasingly strategic and economically substantive. While India and Uzbekistan continue to emphasise their centuries-old civilisational connections, the new framework places considerably greater weight on sectors that will shape future economic and geopolitical competition, including critical minerals, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, resilient supply chains and energy security.

India-Uzbekistan Ties Elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

The central political outcome of the visit was the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

India and Uzbekistan described their relationship as being founded upon longstanding friendship and deep historical and cultural affinities, while agreeing that the partnership now needs to expand considerably in scope.

The two governments identified trade, investment, transport connectivity, digital transformation, information technology, artificial intelligence, space, cybersecurity, energy transition, critical minerals, food security, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and education as priority areas for future cooperation.

The upgrade creates an overarching political framework within which the various economic, technological, security and cultural initiatives announced during the visit can be pursued.

Foreign Ministers to Oversee Implementation

A significant institutional decision was the agreement to establish a Foreign Ministers-led mechanism to provide high-level coordination and oversight for implementing agreements reached between the two countries.

The mechanism is intended to help ensure that bilateral initiatives move beyond announcements and are translated into projects and practical outcomes.

India and Uzbekistan also agreed to review their existing bilateral legal instruments and modernise the treaty framework so that it better reflects the rapidly expanding scope of their relationship.

This is particularly important as bilateral cooperation increasingly enters specialised sectors ranging from mineral processing and digital payments to artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and advanced infrastructure.

Strong Joint Position Against Terrorism

Security cooperation emerged as another important element of the summit.

India and Uzbekistan unequivocally condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all its forms and rejected attempts to justify terrorism on any grounds.

The two sides called for coordinated action against terrorist organisations and emphasised the need to dismantle terrorism-financing networks, safe havens and supporting infrastructure. They further stressed that terrorists as well as their backers, facilitators and affiliates must be brought to justice.

The statement also called for stronger cooperation in law enforcement and intelligence-sharing as well as efforts against violent extremism, illicit drug trafficking, organised crime and cyber threats.

India and Uzbekistan will continue working through their Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, providing an institutional mechanism for cooperation against shared security threats.

Defence Industrial Cooperation Set to Expand

The two countries expressed satisfaction with growing cooperation between their defence and security establishments and indicated that they intend to explore new areas of collaboration.

Particularly noteworthy is the growing work of the Joint Working Group on Military Cooperation, under which opportunities in the defence industrial domain are now being explored.

This suggests that bilateral defence relations could gradually move beyond military exchanges and training towards industrial cooperation and potentially joint work involving defence technologies, equipment or associated manufacturing.

The leaders also welcomed the successful conduct of the India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise Dustlik, whose latest edition was held in Uzbekistan’s Namangan Region in April 2026.

Regular military exercises, institutional exchanges, training and capacity-building have increasingly become important components of India’s security partnerships across Central Asia.

India and Uzbekistan Seek Major Expansion in Trade

Economic cooperation occupies a substantial portion of the new partnership.

Both countries acknowledged that considerable untapped potential remains in bilateral commerce and agreed to broaden the range of products traded between them, address non-tariff barriers and encourage greater industrial cooperation.

A new Joint Working Group will be created to address non-tariff issues and investment barriers, focusing particularly on sectors considered important for bilateral trade.

India and Uzbekistan identified electrical equipment, engineering products, automobiles and pharmaceuticals as areas offering particularly strong potential for greater business-to-business cooperation.

The growing presence of Indian companies in Uzbekistan was also welcomed as evidence of the opportunities available for deeper economic engagement.

Preferential Trade Agreement Moves Closer

One of the potentially most consequential commercial developments concerns a proposed Uzbekistan-India Preferential Trade Agreement.

The two sides recalled that a Joint Feasibility Study on the proposed agreement has already been completed. The leaders have now instructed the relevant ministries to examine the next steps on a time-bound basis.

A preferential trade arrangement could reduce barriers across selected product categories and provide businesses in both countries with improved access to each other’s markets.

The decision indicates that India and Uzbekistan are seeking mechanisms capable of producing a sustained increase in bilateral trade rather than depending solely on individual commercial agreements.

New Push to Remove Investment Barriers

Investment cooperation will also be strengthened through institutional mechanisms intended to address investor concerns and improve the ease of doing business.

Uzbekistan’s Investment Promotion Agency and Invest India are expected to deepen cooperation through business forums, investment roadshows, seminars and direct engagement with companies.

The objective is to encourage larger two-way investment flows while identifying sectors where Indian and Uzbek industries possess complementary capabilities.

Both governments also want to strengthen links between their value-added supply chains, reflecting the growing importance placed internationally on diversified and resilient sourcing networks.

Critical Minerals Become a Major Strategic Pillar

Among the most important long-term outcomes is the decision to substantially expand cooperation in critical and strategic minerals.

India and Uzbekistan agreed to explore joint projects spanning geological exploration, mining, mineral processing and integrated mineral value chains.

The cooperation could extend beyond extraction. The two countries specifically identified opportunities involving mineral-resource processing, manufacturing of value-added products and recycling.

Indian companies will be encouraged to participate in developing prospective mineral deposits in Uzbekistan, while Uzbek enterprises could explore collaborative opportunities in India.

For India, such partnerships are becoming strategically important as rapidly expanding sectors including renewable energy, electric mobility, electronics, advanced manufacturing and defence require reliable access to minerals and specialised materials.

Uzbekistan possesses significant geological resources, making minerals a potentially transformative element of the bilateral economic relationship.

Nuclear Energy Cooperation on the Agenda

The two leaders also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Nuclear cooperation was placed alongside geology, mining and critical minerals within the broader energy and natural-resources partnership.

The countries will additionally explore renewable energy, modernisation of energy infrastructure and prospective investment projects.

The inclusion of nuclear energy demonstrates the widening strategic character of bilateral energy cooperation as India and Uzbekistan seek secure, diversified and increasingly low-carbon energy systems.

Multimodal Connectivity to Receive Greater Attention

The absence of a direct land connection between India and Uzbekistan remains one of the principal constraints on bilateral commerce.

Recognising this challenge, both countries reaffirmed their intention to improve transport and logistics connectivity through multimodal routes and logistics corridors.

The objective is to create more efficient conditions for the movement of goods and ultimately reduce transportation costs between India and Central Asia.

The two sides will also exchange expertise in advanced road-construction technologies and explore joint projects involving the reconstruction and modernisation of road infrastructure.

Cooperation could additionally extend to environmentally friendly and energy-efficient public transport projects in Uzbekistan.

Improved connectivity remains fundamental to India’s wider Central Asian strategy because the commercial potential of partnerships across the region depends heavily upon reliable transport links connecting Indian ports and markets with the landlocked Central Asian republics.

Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Emerge as New Pillars

Technology has become another increasingly important component of India-Uzbekistan relations.

The leaders highlighted the successful functioning of the IT Park in Tashkent, established in 2019 on the Indian model with support from the Software Technology Parks of India.

Building upon that experience, India and Uzbekistan intend to strengthen connections among technology parks, companies, startups, educational institutions and innovation ecosystems.

Artificial intelligence received particular attention. The countries agreed to cooperate in developing safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems, including through exchanges of expertise and best practices.

Their objective is to harness AI for sustainable economic growth, innovation and solutions to societal challenges.

The initiative builds upon discussions held on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026, showing that AI cooperation is developing into a sustained bilateral programme rather than remaining a single-event engagement.

Space Cooperation to Expand

India and Uzbekistan also reaffirmed their intention to increase cooperation in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.

Potential areas include space applications, exchanges of scientific data and capacity-building through joint workshops and training.

For Uzbekistan, cooperation with India’s established space ecosystem can provide access to expertise in satellite applications, remote sensing, training and space-based services.

For India, expanding space partnerships across Central Asia contributes to a broader network of international scientific and technological cooperation.

Agriculture and Food Security Added to Strategic Agenda

Agriculture is another sector in which the countries see considerable potential.

India and Uzbekistan agreed to cooperate in developing agricultural value chains, improving export capabilities and strengthening the technical capacity of agriculture and livestock sectors.

They will promote resource-efficient technologies, agricultural science and modern sustainable farming methods while facilitating greater bilateral trade in agricultural products.

Research institutions and enterprises from both countries are also expected to cooperate on improving agricultural productivity and conserving plant genetic resources.

These initiatives connect agricultural cooperation with the broader concerns of food security, climate resilience and sustainable resource management.

Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Could Become Major Growth Areas

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals feature prominently in the new partnership.

India and Uzbekistan intend to strengthen cooperation in biomedical research and medical innovation, including collaborative efforts to develop new treatments and therapies through advanced scientific research.

Particular attention was given to the Tashkent Pharma Park Innovative Scientific and Industrial Pharmaceutical Cluster, which both governments see as a potential platform for investment, pharmaceutical manufacturing, localisation, technology transfer and workforce development.

The two leaders also supported the establishment of new medical centres, laboratories, research institutions and joint pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises in Uzbekistan in cooperation with Indian companies.

Given India’s large pharmaceutical manufacturing base, this area has the potential to develop into one of the most commercially important components of bilateral cooperation.

Education and Capacity Building Continue to Connect the Two Countries

Education remains a strong people-to-people bridge.

The two countries recognised the contribution of Indian students studying in Uzbekistan and agreed to expand academic exchanges, joint research and cooperation in human-resource development.

India has already played a substantial role in training Uzbek nationals. More than 2,700 citizens of Uzbekistan have participated in India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme, while more than 400 Uzbek students have been selected for ICCR scholarships, including scholarships under AYUSH.

Both sides intend to further expand these programmes.

The visit also saw Uzbekistan welcome India’s announcement of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarship for Hindi Language, strengthening cultural and educational links between the two societies.

India Commits USD 1 Million to Aral Sea Ecological Rehabilitation

Environmental cooperation produced one of the visit’s most distinctive initiatives.

India will provide USD 1 million under its Grant-in-Aid framework for greening and ecological rehabilitation of the Aral Sea region, together with necessary technical assistance.

The initiative links India’s Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign with Uzbekistan’s Yashil Makon programme.

The Aral Sea region has experienced one of the world’s most severe environmental transformations, and ecological rehabilitation efforts are intended to stabilise degraded landscapes and support environmental recovery.

India’s participation adds a practical environmental component to its expanding partnership with Uzbekistan.

Buddhist Heritage Conservation Strengthens Civilisational Links

The two sides placed considerable emphasis on their ancient cultural connections.

India and Uzbekistan welcomed cooperation to conserve and restore the ancient Buddhist archaeological sites of Fayaz Tepa and Karatepa in Uzbekistan.

The two governments also agreed to expand cooperation in preserving and studying cultural heritage through modern techniques, including digitisation and three-dimensional modelling of archaeological artefacts and heritage sites.

These initiatives have particular historical significance because ancient Central Asia formed one of the principal corridors through which Buddhism, artistic traditions, commerce and scholarship travelled between the Indian subcontinent and the wider Eurasian world.

A Cultural Exchange Programme for 2026-2030 and cooperation between the archival institutions of the two countries will further strengthen these links.

Ayurveda and Yoga Gain Greater Institutional Support

Traditional medicine and wellness also received new institutional backing.

The two countries welcomed an agreement for cooperation in traditional systems of medicine and agreed to support further development of Ayurveda and Yoga in Uzbekistan.

India’s Ministry of AYUSH and the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan are expected to cooperate in instructor training, while Uzbekistan will continue participating in international Yogasana competitions.

The initiatives extend India’s cultural outreach while simultaneously building professional and institutional links in wellness and traditional medicine.

Uzbekistan Backs India for Permanent UNSC Membership

One of the most significant diplomatic declarations came in the field of multilateral affairs.

India and Uzbekistan called for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the UN Security Council, arguing that the international institution must better reflect contemporary global realities.

Crucially, Uzbekistan reaffirmed its support for India’s candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

The declaration provides India with further diplomatic backing for its longstanding demand that the Security Council’s permanent membership be expanded to better represent the geopolitical and economic realities of the twenty-first century.

Both countries also agreed to strengthen coordination within international organisations and advance the interests of the Global South.

Cooperation Through SCO, BRICS and NAM

India and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, viewing it as an important platform for regional peace, security, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges.

President Mirziyoyev congratulated Prime Minister Modi on India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026 and conveyed his wishes for the successful hosting of the BRICS Summit.

India, in turn, welcomed Uzbekistan’s forthcoming Chairship of the Non-Aligned Movement for 2027-2030, with Prime Minister Modi reaffirming India’s support for the organisation as one of its founding members.

The exchanges underline the growing coordination between New Delhi and Tashkent across institutions that increasingly serve as platforms for emerging and developing economies.

Uzbekistan Shows Interest in India-Led Global Initiatives

Uzbekistan also expressed interest in joining two important India-backed international initiatives — the International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance.

India welcomed the interest and indicated its readiness to facilitate consultations and the processes necessary for Uzbekistan’s participation.

Potential Uzbek membership would extend cooperation into renewable energy and biodiversity conservation while adding another dimension to the growing institutional relationship.

A Strategic Partnership Moving Beyond Traditional Diplomacy

Prime Minister Modi’s August 2026 visit marks an important transition in India-Uzbekistan relations.

The partnership is no longer centred primarily on historical friendship, cultural interaction and conventional diplomatic cooperation. It is evolving into a much broader relationship involving critical minerals, defence industry, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, pharmaceuticals, supply chains, digital technology and connectivity.

At the same time, cultural heritage, education, traditional medicine and people-to-people exchanges continue to provide an unusually deep social foundation for the relationship.

Uzbekistan’s support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council, the strong joint position against terrorism and the expansion of defence cooperation add an unmistakable strategic dimension.

Economically, efforts to advance a preferential trade arrangement, remove non-tariff barriers, increase Indian investment and develop integrated critical-mineral value chains could eventually prove among the most consequential outcomes of the visit.

The geographical realities of Central Asia mean that connectivity will remain a challenge, but the renewed emphasis on multimodal corridors shows that both governments recognise that stronger logistics links are essential if political goodwill is to translate into significantly greater trade.

By elevating the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, New Delhi and Tashkent have therefore set the framework for a considerably more ambitious phase in their relations — one that combines their ancient connections with the emerging strategic priorities of the twenty-first century.

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