PM Narendra Modi outlines stronger ties at India-Central Asia meet

Deepening connectivity, trade and economic relations, including a joint working group on Chabahar Port, were discussed at the first India-Central Asia summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

A new institutionalised summit-level dialogue between India and the five Central Asian Republics (CARs) —Kazakhstan, Kyrgy¬zstan, Tajikistan, Turk¬menistan, and Uzbekistan — was flagged off at a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Presidents of the CARs, the first-ever, at which deepening connectivity, trade and economic ties were discussed, including a joint working group (JWG) on Chabahar Port.

The India-CAR summit came days after a similar summit held between Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and the CARs. Afghanistan and the ‘extended neighbourhood’ featured prominently in the discussions, and a JWG of officials will be instituted on Afghanistan. However