India and Uzbekistan put infrastructure at centre of Modi-Mirziyoyev talks

Infrastructure, trade and investment are expected to dominate the agenda as PM Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hold talks in Tashkent. Indian officials say New Delhi wants to convert existing political goodwill into concrete commercial opportunities, including construction and infrastructure projects in Uzbekistan. Sources familiar with the preparations said Indian firms would be well placed to bid for work as Tashkent modernises roads, energy networks, digital systems and urban facilities.

Larsen & Toubro, already active in the country on power transmission and other engineering contracts, is widely regarded locally as one of India’s most established infrastructure players. PM Modi arrived on Saturday and was received at the airport by Mirziyoyev, an unusual personal welcome that is seen as a mark of the closeness of the relationship. The two leaders later visited Yangi Uzbekistan Park, where Modi laid a wreath at the Independence Monument. A dinner hosted by the Uzbek president followed. Sunday’s formal talks are the centerpiece of the two-day state visit, Modi’s fourth to Uzbekistan.

In a departure statement issued in New Delhi, the Indian prime minister said the strategic partnership had seen significant advancement in recent years. He said he looked forward to discussions on trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy, and on aligning India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 programme with Uzbekistan’s development plans through 2030. He is also due to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. Bilateral trade remains modest by the standards of both economies, estimates put it at around $1-1.5 billion, but both sides have spoken of roughly doubling that figure over the next few years.

Indian investment is already present in construction, renewables, pharmaceuticals, mining, IT and healthcare. Officials on both sides have identified critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, logistics and digital public infrastructure as areas for expansion. From Tashkent, Modi will fly to Bishkek at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov for the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31 and September 1. The meeting marks 25 years of the grouping, which India joined as a full member in 2017.

India’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Birender Singh Yadav, said that the visit would give 'fresh direction' to ties with Bishkek, pointing to expanded defence cooperation, counter-terrorism training and joint exercises. The tour reflects New Delhi’s effort to treat Central Asia as part of its extended neighbourhood, seeking energy and minerals, alternative trade routes that avoid Pakistan, and a stronger voice in a region where China and Russia remain dominant.