How India - Central Asia partnership is pivotal to security and growth of the region?

India has a longstanding relationship with Central Asia. Over the course of two millennia, the two regions have maintained profound cultural connections through people-to-people interactions, trade, and commerce.

The strong trade and cultural ties between the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia, which can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization, diminished following India’s partition in 1947. This partition left New Delhi without a direct land corridor to the region. Consequently, goods from India destined for Central Asia had to take significantly longer routes, often involving maritime transport to Iran followed by overland transit through Iran, which made New Delhi’s exports to the region less competitive.

In spite of these economic and trade challenges, India’s robust political relations with the Soviet Union played a crucial role in maintaining diplomatic connections with Central Asia in the years following India’s independence. As the Soviet Union and the Cold War era concluded in 1991, India, being the sole non-communist country with a diplomatic presence in Central Asia, found itself in a favorable position to enhance its relationships with the newly independent Central Asian Republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

India - Central Asia dialogue

In June 2025, in New Delhi, the Business Council convened alongside the 4th session of the Central Asia-India Dialogue at the level of foreign ministers. The Foreign Affairs Ministers from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were present in New Delhi. The parties outlined essential areas for trade and economic collaboration, acknowledged the necessity of developing transport corridors, including the Chabahar port and the North-South corridor, and proposed the establishment of joint logistics centers while simplifying transit procedures.

India and Central Asian nations have shown a keen interest in collaborating on the exploration of rare earth elements and critical minerals.

India- central asian ministers expressed appreciation for the results of the inaugural India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum, which was held in September of the previous year in New Delhi, and urged the relevant authorities to convene the second India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum meeting at the earliest opportunity.

In the Joint Statement, India and the Central Asian nations also highlighted the significance of enhancing financial connectivity among them, especially through digital payment systems.

Furthermore, in the Joint Statement from the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue, the countries advocated for improved interbank relations and trade in national currencies to promote increased trade, investment, tourism, and exchanges among people. Acknowledging the crucial role of financial and banking connections, they also expressed a desire to establish a Joint Working Group aimed at exploring methods to further strengthen banking and financial connectivity between India and its Central Asian partners.

The Foreign Affairs Ministers categorically denounced the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. They reaffirmed their unwavering dedication to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

They emphasized that those responsible, including perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorist activities, must be held accountable and face justice. India and its Central Asian partners urged for the prompt adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They highlighted the necessity to enhance UN-led global counter-terrorism collaboration and to fully execute the pertinent UNSC resolutions, the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and FATF standards.

Conclusion

India has established strategic partnerships with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with both parties recognizing each other's strategic significance. This recognition is particularly vital as both regions confront shared challenges such as terrorism and drug trafficking. The friendly political, economic, and strategic relations have allowed the scope of collaboration between India and Central Asia to broaden into both traditional and non-traditional security areas, including terrorism and cybersecurity, as both parties persist in identifying opportunities for collaboration and tackling common challenges through bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

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