Jaishankar holds bilateral talks with foreign ministers of four Central Asian countries

The talks covered bilateral cooperation in areas of security, energy, connectivity, health and education

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held separate talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, covering bilateral cooperation in areas of security, energy, connectivity, health and education. Jaishankar held the talks on the sidelines of the third India-Central Asia Dialogue in Delhi.

The external affairs minister met his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Saturday. "Met Uzbekistan FM Abdulaziz Kamilov for the sixth time this year. Trilateral discussions with Iran on Chabahar are noteworthy. Our development partnership can make a difference in urban infrastructure," Jaishankar tweeted.

On his meeting with Kyrgyz foreign minister Ruslan Kazakbaev, the external affairs minister said the talks covered cooperation in areas of telemedicine, information technology, education and heritage. "Welcomed FM Ruslan Kazakbaev of Kyrgyz Republic on his first-ever visit to India. Our agenda covered telemedicine, IT, education and heritage conservation," he said.

Also Read — India seeks cooperation with Central Asia to help Afghanistan

Jaishankar described his meeting with Turkmen foreign minister Rashid Meredov as "useful". "Useful exchange of views with Turkmen DPM and FM Rashid Meredov. Shared perspectives on security, energy and connectivity," he said.

Jaishankar said expanding economic and energy cooperation was the focus of his talks with Kazakh foreign minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi. "Good discussions with DPM and FM Mukhtar Tileuberdi of Kazakhstan. Focused on expanding our economic and energy cooperation. Appreciated our joint deployment in UN peacekeeping," Jaishankar tweeted.

In his opening remarks at the India-Central Asia Dialogue, Jaishankar said India will be a steadfast partner of the five countries.

"Each one of us today faces the test of rebuilding our economy. Our pursuit of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) must also be energised. But together we can do this better and India, I assure you, will be your steadfast partner," he said.

"We already have a good history of cooperation. But my message to you today is a readiness to take it to the next level. Our ties must now focus around 4 Cs: Commerce, Capacity enhancement, Connectivity and Contacts," he added.

Also Read — India, Tajikistan explore ways to expand cooperation in diverse areas

In the last few years, India has been focusing on expanding overall cooperation with the energy-rich Central Asian countries, considering them to be part of its extended neighbourhood.

The upswing in India's engagement with the region followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's whirlwind tour of the five countries in July 2015 that resulted in the expansion of two-way ties in a range of areas.

The recent developments in Afghanistan reinforced the importance of the Central Asian countries with three of them -- Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- sharing borders with the war-torn nation.

The national security advisors (NSAs) of all the five Central Asian countries attended an India-hosted regional dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10. NSAs of Russia and Iran also participated in it.

The second meeting of the India-Central Asia dialogue was organised by India in October last year in digital videoconference format.

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