Daijiworld Media Network - Tashkent
Tashkent, Aug 30: India and Uzbekistan will work together to preserve Uzbekistan's Buddhist heritage sites, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday, while also announcing scholarships to promote the Hindi language in the Central Asian country.
Addressing a joint press meet with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev after their talks in Tashkent, Modi said the deep roots of the bilateral relationship lay in the shared heritage of the two countries.
“The deep roots of our relationship lie in our shared heritage. Today, we have placed special emphasis on strengthening them further. We will work together to preserve Uzbekistan's Buddhist heritage sites. Promoting exchanges between the youth of both nations, especially students and professionals, is a high priority for us,” Modi said.
He said the two countries had also reached an agreement on a ‘Program of Cooperation’ to boost tourism.
“An agreement on a 'Program of Cooperation' was reached today to boost tourism between the two countries. I am pleased to announce scholarships today to promote the Hindi language in Uzbekistan,” he added.
Modi said India's and Uzbekistan's strengths in agriculture and health complement each other and can contribute to food security in both countries by combining Uzbekistan's horticulture experience with India's modern agricultural practices.
“Medicinal herbs from Uzbekistan and Ayurveda expertise from India are a natural combination. The agreement reached today on traditional medicine will strengthen our joint efforts,” he said.
He added that India wanted the partnership to extend beyond the capitals of the two countries.
“It is our endeavour that our partnership should not be limited to only two capitals. That is why we are going to establish partnerships between our cities and states,” Modi said.
Modi said 2026 marks the 15th anniversary of the strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan and announced that the two sides had decided to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
“The close defence and security cooperation between the two countries reflects our deep mutual trust. In the times ahead, we will foster direct linkages, co-production, and co-development between the defence industries of both nations,” he said.
Modi said terrorism, extremism and separatism were major challenges for the entire region.
“Zero tolerance against all three has been, and will continue to be, our shared resolve,” he said.
Bilateral trade between India and Uzbekistan has crossed $1 billion, Modi said, adding that the two countries are targeting trade of $5 billion by 2030.
“To achieve this, we will move forward in areas such as market access, connectivity, banking, and payments. In infrastructure development, we will work together to create win-win cooperation for both countries,” he said.