New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries, during which he said that India attaches great importance to its long-standing ties with Central Asian countries and considers these countries as their “extended neighbourhoods”. considers part of. These leaders met the Prime Minister a day after attending the third India-Central Asia Dialogue.
The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in this dialogue organized by India in Delhi. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were also present during the meeting of these ministers with the Prime Minister. Giving details of the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, “The Prime Minister emphasized that India attaches great importance to its longstanding relationship with Central Asian countries and considers these countries as part of its ‘extended neighbourhood’. “
According to the statement, the Prime Minister congratulated the ministers on the 30th anniversary of the independence of these countries this year. The PMO said the prime minister recalled “his memorable visits” to all Central Asian countries and later to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic in 2015. The PMO said the Foreign Ministers briefed the Prime Minister on the discussions held at the India-Central Asia Dialogue chaired by External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, which focused on trade and connectivity, development partnership and regional development, including the situation in Afghanistan. went.
Met the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. We discussed ways to further strengthen India’s close partnership with Central Asia, and also exchanged views on developments in the region. pic.twitter.com/C1Y3THdumt
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 20, 2021
According to the PMO, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of maintaining cultural and people-to-people contacts between India and Central Asia, given the popularity of Indian films, music, yoga, etc. in the region. They also underlined the potential for increased economic cooperation between India and Central Asia and the role of connectivity in this regard. The PMO said that the India-Central Asia Dialogue has given impetus to the excellent bilateral relations between India and the Central Asian countries.
India and the Central Asian countries will next year celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. In the dialogue held on Sunday, India and five Central Asian countries stressed on providing immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and also emphasized that the Afghan soil should be used for harboring terrorists, training them, planning terrorist activities. not to create or finance them.
The countries involved also reiterated that harboring terrorist groups, indirect use of terrorists for cross-border terrorism, financing of terrorism and propagation of radical ideology are against humanity and the basic principles of international relations.
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Referring to regional connectivity initiatives, the countries said that such projects should be based on transparency, comprehensive participation, local priorities, principles of financial sustainability and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. The Ministers discussed the current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and decided to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
The dialogue also discussed the role of the United Nations in Afghanistan, as well as the need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, protect the rights of women, children and minorities. On the fight against terrorism, the Ministers called for the early adoption of the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
The Foreign Ministers welcomed the inclusion of Chabahar Port under the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and expressed interest in strengthening regional connectivity and cooperation on development-related issues in Central and South Asia. India’s side in the dialogue, Jaishankar had emphasized on adopting a ‘Four C’ approach i.e. commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity and connectivity to enhance cooperation between the two sides.
“Today our meeting took place in the midst of a rapidly changing global economy and political situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a huge blow to global health and the economy.
Of the five Central Asian countries involved in this dialogue, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan share borders with Afghanistan. The national security advisers of these five countries also participated in a regional dialogue on the issue of Afghanistan held on 10 November. It was also attended by the national security advisers of Russia and Iran. (agency)