India is expected to bring together foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries for the first time on August 28 and 29, advancing its engagement in the region weeks after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan. The meeting, which could lead to an India-Central Asia summit, was initially planned to coincide with Republic Day in 2022, according to people familiar with the matter.
According to the sources, the upcoming meeting will focus on effective counter-terrorism mechanisms and comprehensive connectivity corridors in Eurasia, with special emphasis on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar port. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have started sending cargo to India via the INSTC and Chabahar port. India will also explore sourcing of natural resources, including critical minerals.
Experts on India and Central Asia said the country would look to expand defense ties with the region, building on friendship and legacy from the Soviet era.
They said there was growing concern in India, Central Asia and Russia over the expansion of militant networks across Central Asia that have roots in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan have stepped up crackdowns on terrorist organisations in the past few months.
The joint declaration issued at the end of the SCO summit in Astana in July highlighted shared concerns about terrorism and cross-border terrorism and mentioned territorial integrity, with reference to the connectivity corridor (an allusion to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor).
Jaishankar told ET at the time that it was the first time the group had used such strong language on terrorism. “I am pleased that during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship we negotiated an updated programme to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, which was adopted at the Astana summit,” he said at the time.
