The 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue: Delhi
Recently, the third India Central Asia Dialogue between Foreign Ministers has been organized in Delhi. This dialogue was organized between India and five Central Asian countries-Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Salient Features of Joint Statement
Afghanistan issue: It was agreed to keep United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2593 (2021) in place. The resolution explicitly demands that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist activities.
India presented the ‘FOUR C’ approach: Discussions on further expanding cooperation between the two sides focusing on commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity and contacts Hui.
Terrorism: Called for early adoption of the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
Connectivity: It was decided to make full use of Chabahar port in Iran for regional connectivity.
These five Central Asian countries are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). He had declined to attend the meeting organized by Pakistan on the situation in Afghanistan to participate in the Delhi Dialogue.
Significance of Central Asia Region (CAR) for India:
- Geo-strategic importance i.e. as a bridge between different regions of Asia and between Europe and Asia.
- Important from the security point of view to ensure peace in the region.
- Mineral resources like petroleum, natural gas, gold, uranium etc. are present in abundance in CAR, which are yet to be exploited.
Challenges for India in CAR:
Sino-Pakistan ties, lack of direct connectivity, India’s low bilateral trade, etc.
Source – The Hindu
