New Delhi: India will host the third edition of the Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi from Saturday during which the member states are expected to discuss further strengthening of relations with particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation.
External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar will host the dialogue that will be attended the Foreign Ministers of five nations, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The member states will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest during the three-day event, which will end on Monday.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the holding of annual meetings of the India-Central Asia Dialogue is symbolic of the interest on the part of all member countries for greater engagement between them in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding.
Asserting New Delhi considers Central Asia as part of its ‘extended neighbourhood’, the MEA said that there has been an active engagement between India and the five Central Asian countries over the last few years.
The MEA further said External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar visited Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan this year and met with Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan in October 2021.
The Foreign Ministers of the Central Asian countries are expected to pay a joint courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The second meeting was organized by India earlier in October 2020 in digital video-conference format.
The inaugural meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was jointly organized by India and Uzbekistan earlier on January 13, 2019, in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). This was conceived as a platform for further strengthening cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries.