Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a state visit to Tashkent at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The talks focused on trade, transport, security and India’s access to Central Asia’s resources. This was Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan as prime minister.
Ahead of the visit, Modi identified security, transport connectivity and expanding economic opportunities as key priorities of India’s policy in Central Asia. New Delhi also advocates joint efforts to counter terrorism, separatism and extremism, while seeking overland routes to the region that bypass Pakistan.
During the talks, the two sides discussed trade and investment, defence, energy, digital technologies and critical minerals, and agreed on areas of cooperation within the Viksit Bharat 2047 and Uzbekistan 2030 programmes.
In 2025, trade between India and Uzbekistan increased by 33.3% to $1.3 billion. Uzbekistan’s exports amounted to $164.6 million, while imports from India reached around $1.15 billion. The two countries plan to double bilateral trade within three years, including through direct supplies and joint ventures. They are also exploring the possibility of a preferential trade agreement.
The main obstacle to trade is the lack of a direct transport route. India is promoting the use of the International North–South Transport Corridor and Iran’s Chabahar Port. Its effectiveness will depend on the condition of Iran’s infrastructure, the security situation and the ability to conduct international payments under sanctions.
The two sides are also considering long-term supplies of critical minerals to India and joint geological exploration. For New Delhi, this offers an opportunity to secure alternative sources of raw materials to China for its electronics, energy and defence industries.
Defence cooperation is expanding in parallel. On August 26, India provided Uzbekistan with $500,000 worth of military medical equipment. In April, the two countries held the seventh edition of their joint Dustlik-2026 military exercise. Indian specialists are also training Uzbek military personnel in cybersecurity, information technology and the use of artificial intelligence.
For India, Uzbekistan is gradually becoming a gateway to Central Asian markets and raw materials. Given existing transit challenges, a rapid increase in shipments is unlikely, making joint ventures and local production in Uzbekistan of greater practical interest.
Mineral supplies are also unlikely to quickly reduce India’s dependence on China, as extraction capacity remains limited and a significant share of processing continues to be concentrated in China. However, the development of new deposits would broaden India’s range of suppliers.
For Tashkent, closer cooperation with India offers another opportunity to attract Indian capital and technology while reducing its dependence on China and Russia.
