Significance of cooperation between India and Central Asian countries has increased: PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: – Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, ‘All of us are worried about the situation in Afghanistan. This has further increased the importance of cooperation between India and the central Asian countries.’ Prime Minister Modi spoke at the virtual conference with heads of state of the five central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

Prime Minister Modi said on this occasion that the main objective of the meeting is to prepare a plan for connecting India and the central Asian countries with infrastructure and establishing cooperation over the next 30 years. Prime Minister Modi underlined the importance of cooperation, saying that the focal point of Indian policy for maintaining stability, security, and peace in the extended neighbourhood countries is to cooperate with the central Asian countries.

The heads of state of all the five central Asian countries were scheduled to attend this year’s Indian Republic Day celebrations. But they could not physically attend the function given the Coronavirus crisis. Against this background, this virtual meeting between the heads of states was held on the next day of Republic Day. It had been exposed that China became restless with the announcement of the meeting. China had also held a virtual meeting with the heads of state of the central Asian countries just two days before the Indian meeting.

Therefore, China seems to panic given the developing Indian cooperation with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. China has been vying to increase collaboration with the central Asian countries for a long time. But Russia has become aware that the increasing Chinese influence in these countries part of the erstwhile Soviet Union will be detrimental to Russian interests. Russia feels that India is a more reliable option for cooperation in trade and other sectors than China. Therefore, Russia has encouraged collaboration between India and these central Asian countries.

At the same time, the stability and security of the central Asian regions have come under threat given the developments in Afghanistan. India, Russia and the central Asian countries have realised that their interests in Afghanistan are the same. Prime Minister Modi clarified this during the virtual meeting. This has further increased the importance of the cooperation between India the central Asian countries. Pakistan had adopted a policy to create obstacles in the trade between India and the central Asian countries, rich in natural resources. But India developed the Chabahar port in Iran to create an alternative trade route with the central Asian countries. Iran also is expressing keenness to cooperate for this trade. This has reduced the geographic importance of Pakistan.