NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit on Thursday, January 27. In his address, he said that there is need for India and Central Asian nations to define an ambitious vision for the coming years. He remarked that the cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries has achieved many successes over the past three decades.
Modi called for the need to define three goals for the summit. Outlining the first goal, the Prime Minister said that mutual cooperation between central Asian nations and India is necessary for regional security and prosperity. He said that Central Asia is significant to India’s vision of an integrated and stable neighbourhood.
Defining the second goal, Modi said that the Summit aims to give an effective structure to cooperation between India and Central Asia. He said that this will pave the way for the establishment of a platform for regular interaction amongst all stakeholders.
Elaborating on the third goal, Modi said that it is crucial to prepare an ambitious roadmap for the cooperation. He added that this will enable India and Central Asian nations to adopt an integrated approach for regional connectivity and cooperation. The Summit witnessed participation of the Presidents of five countries, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic.