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New Delhi: On June 6, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will host the fourth India-Central Asia Dialogue conference, which will include the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Cooperation in a variety of fields, including defense, is fostering India’s historical and cultural ties with the Central Asian nations.

India has many millennia of shared history and culture with the Central Asian Countries (CACs). Buddhism developed close spiritual linkages as it traveled from India to Central Asia via Tibet. Throughout Central Asia, Indian monks translated books and established monasteries. This influence may be seen at important Buddhist sites such as Termiz, Adzhina Tepe, Kara Tepe, and Fayaz Tepe.

In 1992, India was among the first nations to establish diplomatic ties with the CACs when they gained independence after the fall of the former USSR. With the exception of Turkmenistan, India has established strategic alliances with every CAC.

Bilateral high-level visits between India and Central Asian nations have occurred on many occasions.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic July 2015 tour to all CACs, India’s relations with these nations have significantly improved, and several new areas of collaboration have surfaced.

To attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summits in Tashkent (2016), Nur-Sultan (2017), Bishkek (2019), and Samarkand (2022), PM Modi also traveled to other Central Asian capitals and towns. In a similar vein, Central Asian presidents have visited India on a regular basis.

The highest level of interaction between India and Central Asia is the leaders-level India-Central Asia Summit. Virtually, the first Summit took place in January 2022. It was a significant step in deepening India’s connections with the area. The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were present, while Prime Minister Modi served as its chair.

The ‘Delhi Declaration,’ which was agreed upon during the summit, formalized regular ministerial talks and biannual summits.

The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a gathering of foreign ministers that was introduced in Samarkand in January 2019. It provides a vital forum for enhancing relations between Central Asia and India. The second conference, which was conducted online in October 2020, was focused on infrastructure development, counterterrorism, and regional security.

In order to strengthen the bonds between India and Central Asia, the third summit, which took place in December 2021 in New Delhi, placed a strong focus on connectivity.

The Dialogue’s fourth iteration is scheduled for June 5–6 in New Delhi.

A crucial forum for regional collaboration on security, counterterrorism, cybersquatting, and connectivity, the India-Central Asia NSA meetings were first held in December 2022 in New Delhi and again in October 2023 in Astana. Additionally, it suggested a program to increase Central Asian authorities’ capability in a number of areas, including drug law enforcement and countering the financing of terrorism.

An essential component of India’s strategic alliance with the CACs is defense cooperation. Every year, India participates in the military drills “Dustlik” with Uzbekistan, “Khanjar” with the Kyrgyz Republic, and “KazInd” with Kazakhstan. Another significant component of India’s defense cooperation is the deployment of Indian military training teams in certain nations and the training of CAC defense professionals at India’s top defense training institutions.

Since gaining its independence, India has supported the CACs via human resource development, capacity building, and developmental initiatives.

About 6500 ITEC spots and 1500 ICCR scholarships have been made available by India to professionals and students from the CACs. In every CAC, India has established an IT center. Major grant projects from India include the establishment of a Modern Engineering Workshop, computer labs in 37 schools, the renovation of the Varzob-1 Hydro Power Plant in Tajikistan, the Entrepreneurship Development Center in Uzbekistan, the Mountain Biomedical Research Center in the Kyrgyz Republic, and an Industrial Training Center in Turkmenistan.

All CACs have signed Framework Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for the execution of High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) with funding help from India.

In 2019–20, commerce between India and Central Asia peaked at USD 3 billion. In FY 2024–2025, India’s overall trade with Central Asia was around USD 1.2 billion.

Among the obstacles are the absence of overland connection between India and Central Asia as well as the ignorance of enterprises on both sides about the potential that exists.

India has asked Central Asian nations to participate in the International North-South Transport Corridor and the building of the Chabahar port in order to increase connectivity between the area and India.

Close cultural ties exist between India and the CACs. Buddhism extended from India to Central Asia and beyond, as shown by a number of Buddhist sites in the region. In the CACs, yoga, Bollywood, and Indian dance and music are still quite popular.

Approximately 45,000 Indians, mostly medical students, live in Central Asia in the following countries: Kazakhstan (10,500), Kyrgyzstan (12,860), Tajikistan (1,600), Turkmenistan (100), and Uzbekistan (15,000). Students, businesspeople, experts in industries including oil, IT, finance, and hospitality, as well as representatives of Indian or international businesses, are all part of this diaspora.

In addition, about 2 lakh Indians traveled to Central Asian nations in 2024, mostly Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. As of May 2025, Indian nationals may travel to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan without a visa for a maximum of 14 days and 7 days, respectively. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan all provide e-visas.

With the exception of Turkmenistan, four Central Asian nations are also members of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, the SCO, and the CICA. India’s permanent participation in a reformed and enlarged UN Security Council is supported by all CACs. In the elections to UN organizations, CACs often back India’s candidates.

The ministers will talk about further enhancing ties between India and Central Asian nations during the fourth India-Central Asia Dialogue conference in New Delhi on June 6. They will specifically address commerce, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation. Along with other regional and international subjects of shared interest, they will also exchange views on threats to regional security.

Additionally, the Foreign Ministers will attend the India-Central Asia Business Council conference, which MEA and FICCI are hosting on June 5.