The Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took part in this dialogue.

In a joint statement, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan welcomed the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates between India and their countries, while Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan look forward to an early mutual recognition of vaccine certification with India, the joint statement said after India – Central Asia Dialogue.

“The ministers supported the gradual restoration of personal contacts, tourism and business relations between India and the Central Asian countries. The Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic welcomed the mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates “between India and their countries, while the Ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan looked forward to an early mutual recognition of vaccine certification with India.”

They appreciated the role of the India-Central Asia Dialogue as an effective platform for strengthening multifaceted cooperation and exchanging views on various regional and international issues of common concern.

They stressed that building long-term relationships between Central Asia and India aims to strengthen peace, security, stability, sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region. They discussed further strengthening the dialogue between India and Central Asia and agreed to hold regular annual meetings of the dialogue.

Ministers expressed satisfaction with the ongoing cooperation between Central Asia and India in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Central Asian countries’ foreign ministers paid tribute to India’s assistance in delivering vaccines and essential medicines in the early stages of the fight against COVID-19.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar thanked the supplies from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the offer from Turkmenistan during the second wave of COVID-19 in India in April-May 2021.

In the statement, ministers also highlighted the current level of trade and investment between India and the Central Asian countries and stressed the importance of joint efforts to exploit the full trade potential, especially in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, energy , Textiles, precious stones and jewelry etc.

They promoted the development of direct contacts between the states of India and the regions of the Central Asian countries, among other things by signing agreements / MoUs on the development of partnership relations between the states of the Republic of India and the regions of Central Asian countries.

Ministers also noted the need to continue large-scale and long-term economic cooperation between the Central Asian countries and India in order to strengthen and develop networking. In this context, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan stressed the importance of the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project.

The sides also expressed their desire to deepen cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries in the health sector, including medical tourism. The increase in tourist arrivals, including in the pilgrimage and historical and cultural tourism segments, the creation of tourist trails throughout the region and the promotion of investments in tourist infrastructure were highlighted.

Given the large number of students from India and the Central Asian countries studying in each other’s universities, ministers stressed the importance of ensuring their well-being.

Ministers also expressed their interest in strengthening mutual cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation by improving direct cooperation between government organizations, research institutes, innovation centers and technology companies from India and the Central Asian countries.