PM's central Asia trip amid rising geopolitical salience
The Prime Minister undertook a State Visit to Uzbekistan (29-30 August 2026) followed by travel to Kyrgyzstan for the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, underlining Central Asia's rising strategic importance for India.
India and Uzbekistan issued a joint statement calling for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to make it "more representative, effective and efficient."
Uzbekistan reaffirmed its support for India's candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC).
Both countries agreed to establish a Coordination Council at the Foreign Minister level to steer bilateral cooperation, alongside elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
UN Security Council Reform and India's Bid
The UNSC was structured in 1945 with 5 permanent members (US, UK, France, Russia, China — holding veto power) and originally 6 (now 10) non-permanent members elected for two-year terms, designed for a UN of 51 founding states. Today the UN has 193 members, but Council composition is unchanged, fuelling demands for reform to reflect contemporary geopolitical and economic realities. India argues its case rests on being the world's most populous nation, the fifth-largest economy, and the largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping over the decades.
Key Details
- G4 group: India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan — each supports the others' bid for permanent UNSC seats.
- Uniting for Consensus (informally "Coffee Club"): led by Italy, Pakistan, and others, opposes new permanent seats and favours only expanding non-permanent membership.
- In 2026, India (with the G4) proposed a compromise: new permanent members would forgo veto power for an initial 15 years, subject to review — a shift from India's earlier insistence on full veto parity.
- China is the only P5 member that has not publicly endorsed India's bid; the US, UK, France, and Russia have expressed support at various points.
- UNSC reform requires amending the UN Charter — needing a two-thirds UN General Assembly vote plus ratification by all 5 permanent members (Article 108/109 route), making reform politically difficult despite decades of debate (Inter-Governmental Negotiations, or IGN, ongoing since 2008).
Uzbekistan's explicit backing adds another Central Asian voice to India's UNSC campaign, reinforcing India's broader diplomatic outreach to secure endorsements ahead of any future UN reform negotiations.
India's Central Asia Policy ("Connect Central Asia")
India formalised its Central Asia outreach through the "Connect Central Asia" policy announced in 2012, a 12-point framework covering political, security, economic, and cultural engagement with the five Central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). This built on earlier bilateral strategic partnerships — with Kazakhstan (2009), Uzbekistan (2011), and Tajikistan (2012).
Key Details
- The India-Central Asia Dialogue at Foreign Minister level was institutionalised in 2019.
- The first India-Central Asia Summit (leader-level) was held virtually in January 2022, marking 30 years of diplomatic ties and adopting the "Delhi Declaration."
- A persistent constraint is the absence of direct overland transit, since Pakistan does not permit India transit trade through its territory to Afghanistan/Central Asia — pushing India toward alternative routes like Chabahar Port (Iran) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
- Central Asia holds significant reserves of uranium, natural gas, and rare-earth/critical minerals, aligning with India's energy security and clean-energy transition goals.
The visit — elevating ties with Uzbekistan to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and setting a $5 billion trade target by 2030 — is a concrete escalation of the decade-old Connect Central Asia framework, moving it from declaratory intent toward institutional mechanisms (the new Coordination Council) and binding economic targets.
- State Visit to Uzbekistan: 29-30 August 2026; PM then proceeded to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for the 26th SCO Summit (31 August-1 September 2026).
- G4 nations seeking permanent UNSC seats: India, Brazil, Germany, Japan.
- UNSC has 5 permanent (veto-holding) and 10 non-permanent (rotating, 2-year term) members.
- India proposed/endorsed a 15-year veto deferral compromise for new permanent members in 2026.
- Connect Central Asia policy: launched 2012; India-Central Asia Summit: first held January 2022 ("Delhi Declaration").